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Bill: Information and Media Act
Details
Submitted by[?]: Rutanian Democratic Forum
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: November 2549
Description[?]:
| We introduce new Information and Media Act, which will regulate two areas: Internet regulations. and The government's policy regarding regulation of media content. We noticed one contradiction in our Legislation. There it stands that everyone can sue the media which issued a false information, but the media are allowed to publish anything. Therefore we think it should be corrected. We also think that the government has to have a position concerning illegal acitivites on the Internet. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Internet regulations.
Old value:: The government has no position on who may use or what is published on the internet.
Current: The government allows anyone to use the internet but the police can run investigations concerning illegal activities conducted by using internet (child abuse, illegal filesharing, ...)
Proposed: The government allows anyone to use the internet but the police can run investigations concerning illegal activities conducted by using internet (child abuse, illegal filesharing, ...)
Article 2
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy regarding regulation of media content.
Old value:: There are no content regulations; the media may publish anything, even proven falsehoods.
Current: There are laws against the publication of false information; everything else may be published freely.
Proposed: There are laws against the publication of false information and hate speech.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 12:23:05, March 20, 2008 CET | From | Federal Rutanian Libertarian Union | To | Debating the Information and Media Act |
| Message | As per Article 1, I could be convinced into supporting it - but Article 2 is of another matter; the flow of information, no matter how hateful or false should never be interfered with - that is a much greater violation of Rutanian liberty. |
| Date | 18:37:53, March 20, 2008 CET | From | Rutanian Democratic Forum | To | Debating the Information and Media Act |
| Message | So, you would allow hate speech in the press? Or false informations- it is very easy to make an assault on someone's reputation and ruin it, especially these days, when the media have very strong position in our society... How can anyone defend against such false accusations? |
| Date | 23:28:05, March 20, 2008 CET | From | Federal Rutanian Libertarian Union | To | Debating the Information and Media Act |
| Message | Of course we would allow hate speech in the press - in Rutania we have protected speech, including hate speech, and it would be wrong of us to restrict the speech or opinions of any person. We mightn't agree with what they have said, but they sure do have the right to say it. On the matter of false information, I see no reason to change the law seeing as how the option to sue the media is there for victims, a deterrent enough for media companies, and the government need not interfere any longer. |
| Date | 12:30:47, March 21, 2008 CET | From | Rutanian Democratic Forum | To | Debating the Information and Media Act |
| Message | Hate speech is not an free expression of someone's opinion, it's a misuse of the right to free speech, misuse againt the public peace. Hate speech often promotes and results in fear, intimidation and harassment of individuals, and may result in murder and even genocide of those it is targeted against. It is also a discrimination against other people's right, because it denies them. We would like to point out, if nothing else, the contradictory nature of this laws. If the media can publish false information, on which basis would the judge punish those media companies, if the victim sues? Therefore, we don't protect the victims, we protect the media companies. Ans this is also a form of violation of human rights (of this victims). |
| Date | 13:15:07, March 21, 2008 CET | From | Federal Rutanian Libertarian Union | To | Debating the Information and Media Act |
| Message | Hate speech is of course the free expression of someone's opinion, it is not our place to determine what one can say and cannot say - it is the decision of the people to listen (or not) and to debate whether or not their opinions are valid. It would be completely wrong of the Government to impinge on those rights. Furthermore, the only discrimination in this bill is the discrimination against those whose speech we may not agree with - it denies them their right to their opinion. With reference to the false information laws, we find that if the media can publish false information - it does at its own risk, the risk of being prosecuted by its victims. We, well the justice system, would judge and punish those media companies on the measure of how much damage it had caused to the reputation to that victim and how much it would take to restore said victim to their original standing within society. We protect the victims adequately with the current laws, and there should be no further invasion into the rights of Rutanians and their right to speech. |
| Date | 15:29:23, March 21, 2008 CET | From | Rutanian Democratic Forum | To | Debating the Information and Media Act |
| Message | We in FDD strongly disagree, and call all other parties to vote for this proposal. |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | ||
| yes | Total Seats: 192 | ||
| no | Total Seats: 197 | ||
| abstain |
Total Seats: 210 |
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