ไป
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 1988
MAKE
"I HOPE TOO THAT JOURNALISTS WILL NOT THEMSELVES JUDGEMENTS ABOUT WHETHER THEIR OWN POSITION WILL BE AFFECTED BY WHAT THEY PUBLISH. SELF CENSORSKIP STEMS FROM FEAR AND FEAR HAS NO PLACE IN A FREE SOCIETY."
BUT IT WAS A FREEDOM THAT ALSO CARRIED A RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY, AND IT WAS FOR JOURNALISTS TO MAKE A PERSONAL DECISION WHETHER THEY WERE MAKING A WORTHWHILE CONTRIBUTION ΤΟ THE
} COMMUNITY, AND WHETHER THEY WERE USING THEIR INFLUENCE
CONSTRUCTIVE OR DESTRUCTIVE WAY.
IN A
JOURNALISTS WERE ABLE ΤΟ EXERT A TREMENDOUS INFLUENCE ON PUBLIC OPINION, AND VERY FEW PEOPLE IN ANY COMMUNITY RELIED ON THEIR OWN JUDGEMENT WHEN COMING TO A VIEW ON MATTERS OF TOPICAL INTEREST.
SIR DAVID SAID THE ATTITUDE OF THE GOVERNMENT COULD BE MEASURED PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY IN THE FRAMEWORK OF LAW.
"THE LAW WILL INEVITABLY PROVIDE A BALANCE BETWEEN THE NEED ΤΟ PRESERVE THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS ON THE ONE HAND AND THE NEED ΤΟ PROTECT THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE COMMUNITY FROM THE UNREASONABLE EXERCISE OF POWER BY THE MEDIA, ON THE OTHER, HE SAID.
"HERE WE ENTER A VERY CONTENTIOUS AREA FOR THERE ARE THOSE WHO WOULD SAY THAT THE EXERCISE OF THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS CAN NEVER BE UNREASONABLE AND THAT THE PROTECTION OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS SHOULD ONLY BE EXERCISED BY INDIVIDUALS THEMSELVES SEEKING RECOURSE TO LAW.
"THE PROPONENTS OF ABSOLUTE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS WOULD ARGUE THAT ANY LIMITATION OR CURB ON ITS FREEDOM IS A DENIAL OF A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT THAT CANNOT BE TOLERATED.
T
SIR DAVID SAID SOME JOURNALISTS WOULD ARGUE THAT ONLY A COMPLETE BODY OF LAW GOVERNING PRESS FREEDOM COULD ENSURE THAT PRESS FREEDOM WAS INVIOLABLE. "FRANKLY I DOUBT IT, BECAUSE ANY SET OF LAWS MUST PROVIDE FOR THE FREEDOM OF SOME TO BE INHIBITED
ΤΟ PROTECT THE RIGHT OF OTHERS," HE REMARKED.
SIR DAVID NOTED THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE STANDARDS OF CENSORSHIP COUNTRIES WHICH PRIDED
IMPOSED ON TELEVISION BROADCASTING IN THEMSELVES ON FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA WERE OFTEN VERY STRICT.
OVERALL, SIR DAVID SAID THAT HONG KONG WAS FORTUNATE IN HAVING ESTABLISHED A TRADITION OF PRESS FREEDOM OF WHICH IT COULD BE TRULY PROUD. "WE HAVE LONG RECOGNISED THAT THE MEDIA HERE HAS A PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN VOICING THE VIEWS AND CONCERNS
OF THE
COMMUNITY AND BRINGING THEM TO THE ATTENTION OF THE HE SAID.
**
ADMINISTRATION,
រ
13