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SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 1988

"I HOPE тоо

JOURNALISTS THAT

WILL NOT

THEMSELVES

JUDGEMENTS ABOUT WHETHER THEIR OWN POSITION WILL BE AFFECTED

THEY PUBLISH. SELF

IN A FREE SOCIETY.'

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CENSORSHIP STEMS

WAS A

FREEDOM

THAT

MAKE

BY WHAT FROM FEAR AND FEAR HAS NO PLACE

CARRIED ALSO

A RESPONSIBILITY

A PERSONAL TO THE IN A

BUT IT TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY, AND IT WAS FOR JOURNALISTS TO MAKE

WORTHWHILE CONTRIBUTION DECISION WHETHER THEY WERE MAKING A

INFLUENCE WERE USING THEIR

AND WHETHER

THEY

COMMUNITY, CONSTRUCTIVE OR DESTRUCTIVE WAY.

JOURNALISTS WERE

ΤΟ ABLE

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

THE GOVERNMENT OF ATTITUDE SAID THE DAVID MEASURED PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY IN THE FRAMEWORK OF LAW.

COULD

BE

"THE LAW WILL INEVITABLY PROVIDE A BALANCE BETWEEN THE NEED

HAND AND THE NEED TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS ON THE ONE

FROM THE UNREASONABLE PROTECT THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE COMMUNITY EXERCISE OF POWER BY THE MEDIA, ON THE OTHER," HE SAID.

TO

WHO 'HERE WE ENTER A VERY CONTENTIOUS AREA FOR THERE ARE THOSE

NEVER BE WOULD SAY THAT THE EXERCISE OF THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS CAN

INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND OF AND THAT THE PROTECTION UNREASONABLE

INDIVIDUALS THEMSELVES SEEKING FREEDOMS SHOULD ONLY BE EXERCISED BY RECOURSE TO LAW.

PRESS WOULD ARGUE "THE PROPONENTS OF ABSOLUTE FREEDOM OF THE

A DENIAL OF A BASIC THAT ANY LIMITATION OR CURB ON ITS FREEDOM IS HUMAN RIGHT THAT CANNOT BE TOLERATED.'

||

WOULD

ARGUE THAT

ONLY A THAT PRESS OF LAWS TO PROTECT THE

SIR DAVID SAID SOME JOURNALISTS COMPLETE BODY OF LAW GOVERNING PRESS FREEDOM COULD ENSURE FREEDOM WAS INVIOLABLE. "FRANKLY I DOUBT IT, BECAUSE ANY SET MUST PROVIDE FOR THE FREEDOM OF SOME TO BE INHIBITED RIGHT OF OTHERS," HE REMARKED.

CENSORSHIP STR DAVID NOTED THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE STANDARDS OF

COUNTRIES WHICH PRIDED IN BROADCASTING ON IMPOSED

TELEVISION THEMSELVES ON FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA WERE OFTEN VERY STRICT.

HAVING OVERALL, SIR DAVID SAID THAT HONG KONG WAS FORTUNATE IN

COULD ВЕ TRULY ESTABLISHED A TRADITION OF PRESS FREEDOM OF WHICH IT

A HERE HAS PROUD. "WE

OF THE

RECOGNISED

THE

THAT

MEDIA HAVE LONG PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN VOICING THE VIEWS AND CONCERNS COMMUNITY AND BRINGING THEM TO THE ATTENTION OF THE HE SAID.

ADMINISTRATION,

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