By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 15 March 2015:
Journalists must be allowed to work without government interference, proclaimed a group of journalists from . . .[restrict]Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen attending a workshop in Tunisia.
The journalists came together to attend a workshop entitled Media Regulatory Reform in the Middle East and North Africa: The Regulation of the Profession of Journalists. The workshop was sponsored and facilitated by the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, the Centre for Law and Democracy and the International Media Support and Vigilance.
In a statement released at the conclusion of the workshop the attendees expressed their concerns about excessive government control of media that restricts freedom of expression. They also expressed apprehension about the control exerted by some journalist syndicates and unions, as well as the undue influence that comes with public funding of those groups.
They stressed that governments should not be allowed to decide who practices journalism and called for freedom of expression as well as the protection of journalists and the confidential sources.
Furthermore, they denounced the use of regulatory systems like the issuing of press cards and accreditations to limit journalistic freedom or access to information, saying these should be administered “in a manner that is fair and transparent” and by “bodies which are independent of the government.” [/restrict]
