[GA - PASSED] Repeal: “Freedom Of The Press”

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Chipoli

Chipoli

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Repeal: “Freedom Of The Press”
Category: Repeal | Resolution: GA#155
Proposed by: Hulldom | Onsite Topic​

The General Assembly,

Cognizant of the myriad benefits of a free and open press for the causes of accountability justice, and good governance,

Believing, however, that freedom of the press ought to be faced with minimal constraints,

Aware that the previous resolution on the subject, [resolution=GAR#155]Freedom of the Press[/resolution] was well intentioned but contains several flaws that render it a toothless defense of the freedom of the press,

Finds as follows:
  1. The proviso in clause 2 that “international news media organisations” may operate within a nation’s borders only “when given explicit permission to do so” impedes press reporting by allowing other nations to restrict the same. Additionally, this proviso, while countered with an encouragement in clause 3, is a mandate and thus restricts the reporting of “international news media organisations”, impeding the freedom of the press as a result.
  2. In clause 4, the inclusion of “and” in the clause that citizens may not be punished for accessing news media that operates “both within and outside the nation's borders”, means that nations may punish citizens for accessing media originating solely within a nation’s borders or for accessing media originating from another nation such as dissident media. Thus, the resolution again undermines the goal of a free press by unintentionally restricting that media which citizens may absolutely lawfully access.
  3. The phrase “genuine threat to the security of the nation” in clause 5 is unable to be judged and thus open to abuse because there is no adjudicative authority, and thus claims to censor information on the basis of national security grounds can be abused.
  4. Additionally in clause 5, the second sentence’s overriding deference to “national freedom of expression laws and broadcasting codes of conduct” also impedes freedom of the press as national or international media may be restricted from reporting on topics that national media regulators may find obscene or which a nation may otherwise find objectionable.
Therefore let GAR#155: “Freedom of the Press” be repealed.
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Note: Only votes from TNP WA nations and NPA personnel will be counted. If you do not meet these requirements, please add (non-WA) or something of that effect to your vote.
Voting Instructions:
  • Vote For if you want the Delegate to vote For the resolution.
  • Vote Against if you want the Delegate to vote Against the resolution.
  • Vote Abstain if you want the Delegate to abstain from voting on this resolution.
  • Vote Present if you are personally abstaining from this vote.
Detailed opinions with your vote are appreciated and encouraged!

ForAgainstAbstainPresent
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IFV
Overview:

This resolution repeals an earlier resolution titled "Freedom Of The Press" on the grounds that the target resolution has a number of loopholes. The first alleged loophole is that the target only allows international organisations to operate in a nation when given explicit permission, thus severely limiting freedom of the press. The second one concerns a grammar mistake where "and" is inserted instead of "or", allowing member nations to punish citizens for accessing media that operates solely in the nation or solely outside of it, again restricting press freedoms. The two other alleged loopholes also have the effect of limiting freedom of the press by allowing to censor information in media for posing a "genuine threat to the security of the nation" and deferring to national laws which might be very restrictive and thus render moot the whole point of the resolution.

Recommendation:

We find that all of the arguments the repeal makes are very sound and convincing, and the target does more harm than good overall. In addition, the resolution has a replacement in the works, and the authors' expertise and experience convince us that he will be able to produce a resolution of much better quality than the target of the repeal.

For these reasons, the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote FOR this resolution.

This IFV Recommendation was written in collaboration with our World Assembly Legislative League partners.
 
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