UAE | Media
New law 'significant way forward for UAE media'
The new media draft law is "a significant step forward for press freedom and other civil liberties in the UAE," a senior official said on Saturday.
- By Samir Salama, Associate Editor
- Published: 22:59 February 7, 2009
- Image Credit: Supplied Picture
- The National Media Council will have the responsibility ofdetermining whether a possible breach of the law has occurred — but it will then be for the courts to determine whether the law has actually been broken and to decide upon the penalty, if any, says Ebrahim Al Abed, Director-General, National Media Council.
Abu Dhabi: The new media draft law is "a significant step forward for press freedom and other civil liberties in the UAE," a senior official said on Saturday.
Ebrahim Al Abed, the Director-General of the National Media Council that oversees the UAE media, said the new law protects journalists from being sent to jail for carrying out their duties and instead imposes fines.
"Even these fines are determined by courts, whose rulings can be appealed," he told Gulf News.
Scores of civil society leaders have appealed to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to stop the new media draft law, which was passed by the Federal National Council on January 20.
The comments came ahead of the launch of the Regional Ethical Journalism Initiative on Sunday.
The two-day event, organised by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in collaboration with the UAE Journalists Association, will see top journalists, experts and media personalities from the region discuss ethics in the media and related issues.
Latest news
- Last chance for subscribers to win big
- Gang charged with robbery using air-freshener
- it was just a ‘vampire' game, driver tells court
- Educating fussy Emirati jobseekers
- Abu Dhabi Police rescue victims of car crash
- Sharjah festival to enlighten heritage lovers
- Compensation to vary for fire victims
- 9 injured as paraglider crashes into stadium
- Bridges needed
- Reimbursement of ID card fines to start in March
- Dubai Police solve murder mystery
- Restaurateur found dead in Abu Dhabi flat
- Police honour residents who reported crime
- Move to promote Abu Dhabi tourism
- RTA: 0.25m YouTube, Facebook, Twitter followers
Community Reports
-
Bridges needed
Al Ittihad Road has no pedestrian facilities as one nears Sharjah
-
Street lights needed
Authorities urged to act with haste before a major accident occurs in Al Nahda, Dubai
-
Motorists ignore stop sign on buses
Overtaking school vehicles can put students' lives at risk
-
Safety regulations flouted at Dubai work place
In Al Nahda 2, two workers were seen working on the crane boom at a height of 20m without a full body harness or safety net in violation of rules
