Cambodia to use “ethics committee” to censor journalists

[geovalin]

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is dismayed by the Cambodian information ministry’s decision to create a “Monitoring Committee for Journalism Ethics” that is completely lacking in independence, transparency and accountability and is clearly designed to serve as a new censorship mechanism.

 

Unveiled on 2 August, the committee will “examine complaints by the public against journalists and media outlets,” “evaluate the practice of journalism in Cambodia” and “provide orientation to journalists on how to conduct themselves,” according to pro-government media outlets. In practice, the committee reserves the right to summon and sanction any journalist or media whose reporting displeases the government.

 

RSF has learned that the committee will have 15 members, of whom 11 will be information and interior ministry officials. The only concession to civil society is the decision to give four of the positions on the committee to representatives of journalists’ associations. One of them is Nop Vy, the head of the Cambodian Journalists Alliance (CamboJA).

 

read more https://rsf.org/en/news/cambodia-use-ethics-committee-censor-journalists

[Scouse123]

The Public seldom complain in Cambodia about journalists unless put up top it by members of Hun Sen's ruling CPP.

 

Why does he try to pretend its a democracy?  There are no committee members, there are no law courts, what we have are spineless puppets of Hun Sen.

 

He would get a tiny bit more respect and just came out and said it's a dictatorship.