New media bill worries journalists

The Gambian parliament will debate on 24 April, a media bill that would empower a new National Media Commission to enforce a code of conduct for the media, register journalists and judge complaints from aggrieved parties. The Gambia Press Union has expressed concern over the new bill. "The impending enactment of the National Media Commission Act [is] not only quite draconian but a visible threat to press freedom in this country," the president of the union, Demba Jawo, told IRIN on Tuesday. The draft law, which also sets standards on content and quality of material for publication or broadcast by the media, is expected to be approved because the government enjoys a majority in parliament, Jawo said. The proposed commission would be empowered "to ensure the impartiality, professionalism and independence of the media, promote the establishment and maintenance of the highest journalistic standards in the mass media, facilitate the registration of newspaper journals and broadcasting stations in accordance with the constitution," news agencies reported on Tuesday. The bill also proposes that the commission be given the power to summon journalists to answer complaints against them.