GA Proposal: Repeal: “Wartime Journalism Protection Act”

[Lenlyvit]

Repeal: “Wartime Journalism Protection Act”

A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.

Category: Repeal

Resolution: GA#501

Proposed by: Refuge Isle

General Assembly Resolution #501 “Wartime Journalism Protection Act” (Category: Education and Creativity; Area of Effect: Free Press) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

The General Assembly,

Reaffirming that wartime journalists provide an essential service to society and deserve the legal protections necessary to carry out their functions,

Concerned, however, that the protections provided in GAR#501 contain broad loopholes, which nations that wish to conceal their activities may exploit,

Perceiving that:

• A nation which seeks to carry out a military operation that would violate international law, such as the offensive use of chemical weaponry on an enemy nation, may repel reporters under the claim that their presence would interrupt an active combat situation.

• A nation which seeks to carry out a genocide of its newly conquered territories may shield those activities from journalists under the exception that such reporting would jeopardise the goals of its military efforts.

Observing that even in less extreme cases, a nation is able to strip reporters of their legal protection in situations where:

• A journalist is in possession of any object which the warring nation may identify or attest to be a weapon, for such a term is undefined.

• A warring nation deems any reporting of its military activity or other wartime information to be an act of espionage.

Believing that journalists who are adherents of a religion that carries ceremonial weaponry should not be forgotten by the World Assembly, or excluded from its protections in order to carry out their jobs,

Assessing that journalists are unable to carry self-defence weaponry into a war zone without losing their legal protections, rendering them vulnerable to the same brutalities the resolution sought to avoid when they may have otherwise defended themselves,

Resolving that the legislation must be repealed to allow for proper protections for journalists, as it blocks more comprehensive legislation which could rectify the present flaws,

Hereby Repeals GAR#501: "Wartime Journalism Protection Act"

This is the discussion thread. To cast your vote, go HERE

[Vivolkha]

Jul 22, 2020 3:14:56 GMT -5 Vivolkha said:

Since there is no legislation in place on the matter, this is better than nothing. However, I see numerous points where the resolution can be exploited to deny journalists their reporting anyway, including the limitations outlined in provision #2 and basically the entire provision #4.

Even though I really didn't take a position on GA #501, I already pointed out concerns about its loopholes when it was in discussion. FOR.