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With the press and broadcasting laws’ revision under fire, local Portuguese and English-language journalists called for self-regulation yesterday, including the creation of an ethics code. The improvement of the government spokesperson system was one of other requests that came out of the first Macau Journalists Congress.

The event held this weekend brought to the MSAR experts and journalists from all over the world. But the most widely discussed topic was the revision of the local press and broadcasting laws proposed by the government.

Most people speaking at the two-day congress expressed suspicion over the government’s motives to launch the revision.

The decision was born of a promise made by Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On while he was running for office, the head of the Government Information Bureau (GCS), Victor Chan Chi Ping, confirmed yesterday.

“There were several colleagues from the media who called for a revision,” the official said, stressing that the Press Council was never created even though it’s a mandatory body according to the current press law, approved over 20 years ago.

“As a government we cannot simply ignore the fact that a law has not been fully enacted. We must assume our responsibility,” Chan emphasised.



No consensus



But the official confirmed that, even among people calling for a revision, there was no consensus on whether the Press Council should be created or if the body should simply be erased from the law.

“We haven’t promised what or how this revision will take place. All of that is up to you,” he told journalists.

Last year the government launched a consultation process on whether the press and broadcasting laws should be revised. Authorities emphasised that both laws were enacted before Internet changed the media world.

Local company E-Research & Solutions was awarded a MOP 3.5 million tender to launch an innovative method of deliberative polling to collect opinions from the population on a possible revision. The final report should be ready by the end of August 2012.

Chan defended the deliberative polling process. “It’s the most appropriate method to get an informed opinion from the population. We will use it [the deliberative polling] as a reference for other public consultations.”

A total of 277 residents, as well as 29 journalists and media staff, joined the deliberative poll sessions held last week. However the New Macau Association accused the material handed out for residents of being biased “in favour of the government position for more regulations,” president Jason Chow said, quoted by TDM News.

Information critics



“The mere fact that a law was published over two decades ago is no reason to revise it,” said Frederico Rato. The lawyer stressed that the territory’s big legal codes are much older than the press law.

Rato, former owner of Portuguese-language newspaper Ponto Final, praised the current law as “very advanced and sophisticated”. Several other journalists shared this view and warned that the spirit of the law should be kept.

But others, such as José Miguel Encarnação, editor of Portuguese-language weekly Clarim, claimed the lack of a Press Council, a code of ethics and a journalists’ statute meant the law was “lame”.

However the participants believe these changes should come from the journalists themselves as part of a self-regulation effort. The congress approved motions pledging to draft both a code of ethics and a journalists’ statute, as well as “to increase the awareness of local authorities on the need for” professional accreditation.

In addition journalists said the introduction of an ongoing professional training program is “indispensable” to improve the quality of media in the city.

The focus was also on the government’s spokesperson system, launched in 2009. The congress participants proposed the setting up of press departments at the offices of the Macau secretaries, the main service bureaus, the Legislative Assembly, local courts and the Public Prosecutors Office.

During the opening speech of the congress, the government’s spokesperson Alexis Tam Chon Weng said the new system led to “an easier contact” between the media and the Administration and “some improvements in the pace of reply” to journalists’ enquiries.

“We are aware, however, that there is room for improvement,” he conceded. The official asked for understanding on “the effort we have done, for instance, on the simultaneous production of contents in Portuguese-language”.

The journalists criticised the delays in the release of bilingual information by the Administration. They called on the government to particularly ensure that the statements of MSAR officials are translated into Portuguese language and disclosed “in a timely manner”.

On Friday the territory also hosted the second general assembly of the Portuguese-Speaking Countries Journalists Federation (FJLP). During the meeting the Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) was accepted as an FJLP member.