The Supreme Press Council (SPC) is drafting proposals to amend laws related to freedom of expression. The SPC is also preparing to develop new mechanisms that would free the media from governmental authority.
On Sunday, the SPC instructed council member Salah Eissa to form a committee of senior journalists and media professionals for this purpose. The committee’s priorities will involve “finding a clear vision for the amendments… so as to… allow journalists to innovate and maintain their dignity against attacks and violations” by government authorities.
The SPC also instructed the committee to amend a number of laws, stressing “the need to free the media from government domination and control in order to create a free media."
“The committee will begin its work within the next few days. It includes senior journalists, and its primary mission is to conceptualize the press’s authority in line with the Arab Spring,” said Eissa. “This serves the journalist, the reader and the people in general, in addition to doing away with controversial press laws and replacing them with others that allow freedom of expression.”
Eissa went on to say: "The council's discussions focused on new mechanisms for journalism and the creation of a suitable climate to allow creativity without restrictions, while remaining committed to the rules of the profession and the press charter."
