Topic 2 Media and the Laws

Topic 2 Media and the Laws     

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:    

1. Elaborate on what is meant by media laws; and    

2. Discuss the do and don’ts as prescribed by the six legislations.  

INTRODUCTION  

This topic discusses various laws affecting media practitioners and organisations.  There are several pieces of legislations that are dubbed as media or press laws but  in reality, every individual and entity in Malaysia are subjected to it.   With an understanding of these laws, media practitioners will be conscious of the  legal environment they are working in. To journalists, these laws will make them  more conscientious and aware of the implications of their actions.   

2.1        MEDIA LAWS           

A   British   newspaper   faces   being   silenced   by   a   German   court   after       publishing  allegations  about  the  private  life  of  Chancellor  Gerhard       Schroeder /(BREAKINGNews.ie, 2003)        Based on the above statement, do you know any laws that regulate media       practitioners in Malaysia? Discuss

Media   laws   refer   to   a   set   of   laws   that   regulate   media   and   practitioners   alike.  These federal laws are legal documents that have been enacted by Parliament as  provided by Article 10(2)-(4) of the Federal Constitution. As Federal laws, every  citizen of this country and the various organisations are also subject to its content.  The set of legislations dubbed media laws are (refer to Figure 2.1):                       

Figure 2.1: The set of legislations dubbed media laws  

It would be a grave error to state that these are the only laws that have an effect  on the working of media practitioners and organisations. There are other laws of  interest to the media professionals but it is beyond the scope of this module. This  topic    focuses    on  the   above    set  of  legislations    so  as  to  ensure    that  budding  reporters are well aware of the important provisions of the respective laws.   Some of these legislations cover a wide scope of organisations and people and not  necessarily media organisations and practitioners only. Thus it is a misnomer to  dub these legislations as media laws.

For example, the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984, casts a wide net on all  type of printing businesses and not only on printing of mass media. The Official  Secret    Act   1972   covers    a  wide    spectrum     of  people,    including    civil  servants  working   in   the   various   Government   ministries   and   agencies.   The   Sedition   Act  1948   also   is   enforced   on   all   acts   pertaining   to   seditious   tendency   and   thus   it   is  subjected to everyone living in Malaysia.   In other words, laws are enacted and subjected to everyone living in a particular  country and they do not differentiate offenders by the colour of their skin, status,  or creed. It is our duty as citizens of this country to know the various legislations  that   confer   us   our   rights   and   privileges.   Accepting   these   rights   and   privileges  means that we agree to uphold and respect the Federal Constitution and the laws.   It is a widely known maxim that ignorance is not a defence in a court of law and  as   faithful   citizens    of  this  country;    we    are   expected    to   know    the   various  legislations. As citizens of Malaysia, we ought not to be complacent, less so if we  intend   to   be   conscientious   and   responsible   journalists   contributing   towards   the  development of the nation.            

ACTIVITY 2.2        

To   know   more   about   the   various   legislations,   surf   PNMB   LawNet   at:        http:/www.lawnet.com.my 

From the website above, what do you understand about the role of PNML Lawnet? Discuss with your classmates.               

SELF-CHECK 2.1         

What   are   media   laws?   State   five   reasons   why   these   are   important   to         media practitioners

2.2          PRINTING PRESSES AND PUBLICATION. ACT 1984 (ACT 301)    

The Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 was enacted to regulate the use    of   printing   presses   and   the   printing,  importation,   production,   reproduction,    publishing     and   distribution    of  publications   and    for  matters   connected    therewith.   With the enactment of this Act, the Printing Presses Act 1948 and the Control of  Imported      Publications   Act   1958   are  repealed.   The   current   Act  covers   three  important areas (see Figure 2.2):               

Figure 2.2: Three important areas of the Printing Presses Act 1948  

Let us now discuss the areas one by one.  

(a)    Printing Presses          One of the purposes of this Act is as a vehicle to regulating ownership and         operation of printing presses in this country.           Printing   press   is defined   as  a machine,    equipment     or  article of  the          type described in Schedule I. Schedule I includes the following printing          equipment      such   as  letterpress,  lithography,   gravure,   intaglio   or  any          other process printing capable of printing at a rate of 1,000 impressions          per hour or more.                                           

MEDIA AND THE LAWS.

The following are various legislations related to printing presses.     

Section 3(1)  Licence for printing press     

Section 3(1) of the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 states that:      No    person    shall  keep   for  use   or  use  a  printing    press  unless   he   has  been     granted a licence under subsection (3)      There is an exception though to the above rule.

Section 3(8) waives licensing     requirement if the press is used for engraving or the printing of any visiting or     business     cards,  billhead    or  letter  heading,    or  any   letter,  memorandum        or     document       in  the   ordinary     course    of  business,    not   being   a   printing    or     publishing house.      

Section 3(3)  Absolute discretion of the Minister     

Section 3(3) further states that the Minister has absolute discretion in granting     anyone a licence to keep or use a printing press for such period as specified in     the   licence.   The   granting   of   a   printing   press   licence   is   subjected   to   a   deposit     which can be forfeited if the accused is convicted under Section 3(4) of the said     Act. Ownership of a printing press without licence is an offence, Section 3(4)     and anyone found guilty can be sentence to imprisonment not more than three     years or fine not exceeding RM20,000 or both.    

Section 5(5)  Forfeited      Section 5(5), the printing press that is kept for use or used in respect of which    no    licence   has  been    granted   can   be  forfeited   by   the  court   whether    or  not     anyone has been convicted of any offence.                                  

Printing for unlawful purpose is also a crime under Section 4(1) that states:             

Section 4(1)  Unlawful Printing Any   person   who   prints   or   produces,   or   causes   or   permits   to   be   printed   or  produces by his printing press or machine any publication or document:            

(a)    Which is obscene or otherwise against public decency; or            

(b)    Which   contains   an   incitement   to   violence   against   persons   or   property,                   counsels disobedience to the law or to any lawful order or which is or is likely to lead to a breach of the peace or to promote feelings of ill-will, hostility, enmity, hatred, disharmony or disunity.            

Those found guilty of such acts on conviction are liable to imprisonment not            more than three years or a fine not exceeding RM20,000 or both. The printing            press that is used for publication of an offence under Section 4(1) can also be            forfeited whether or not anyone has been convicted of any offence.            

Section 12(1)  Validity period for licence            

Section 12(1) states that the validity period for such licence is for a period of            twelve   months   or   shorter   as   may   be   specified   in   the   permit.   We   will   discuss            this further in the next topic.            

ACTIVITY 2.3      

Another site with the listing of all the various legislation is:       www.lawsofmalaysia.com        

This site boasts that it is the only complete and authoritative organisation        to offer more than 700 Federal Acts of Parliament currently in operation        in Malaysia. From the website, try to search for the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984. How many sub-legislation falls under the Printing        Presses and Publication Act?         For   those   living   in   Kuala   Lumpur,   you   could   buy   copies   of   the   various        legislations at:         Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Berhad        Jalan Chan Sow Lin.        50554 Kuala Lumpur.

SELF-CHECK 2.2         

Are all publishers required to apply for a permit before they can start a         new publication? Why? Explain.  

(b)    Permits for Publishing Newspapers          Before   printing   and   publishing   a   newspaper,   a   publisher   would   have   to         have a valid publication permit.            In   this   Act,   a   newspaper   is   defined  as   any   publication   containing   news,           intelligence,     reports    of  occurrences     or   any    remarks,     observations     or           comment,  in  relation to such news, intelligence  or  occurrences,  or to  any           other matter of public interest, or any magazine, comic or other forms of           periodical printed in any language for sale or free distribution at regular or           irregular intervals, but does not include any publication published by or for           the Federal or any State Government or the Government of Singapore.         

The    following     are   various    legislations    related   to  permits    for   publishing         newspapers:            Part II, Section 5  Print, import, publish, etc. without permit. Without the permit, Part II, Section 5 of the Act makes it an offence to print,           import, publish, sell, circulate or distribute newspaper or offer to publish, sell,           circulate or distribute any newspaper printed in Malaysia or Singapore.            

Section 5(2)(b)  Conviction without permit            

Section 5(2)(b) states that those convicted with printing a newspaper without a            permit or where the permit has been revoked are liable to imprisonment for            term not exceeding three years or fine not more than RM20,000 or both.            

Section 5(2)(b) states that those convicted with printing a newspaper without a            permit or where the permit has been revoked are liable to imprisonment for            term not exceeding three years or fine not more than RM20,000 or both.            

Section   5(2)(b)  maintains   that   the  same   sentence    can  be  imposed    to  those            convicted   with   the   offence   of   importing,   publishing,   selling,   circulating,   or            distributing,    or  offers  to publish,    sell,  circulate,  or  distribute,  or  has   in            possession     for  any  such   purpose,    any   newspaper     printed   in  Malaysia    or            Singapore that has not been granted a permit or with a revoked permit.                                       

Part II, Section 6(1)(a)  Absolute discretion to grant a permit                   

Part II, Section 6(1)(a) gives the Minister of Home Affairs absolute discretion to                   grant any person a permit to print and publish a newspaper in Malaysia. The                   Minister     has  total  discretion   to  grant   any   proprietor   of  any   newspaper      in                   Singapore a permit to import, sold, circulate or distribute into Malaysia.                   

Section 12(1)  Validity period for a permit                   

Section 12(1) states that the validity period for such permit is for a period of                   twelve months or shorter as may be specified in the permit. According to the                   Printing Presses and Publications (Licences and Permit) Rules, 1984, the permit                   number   of   a   publication   shall   be   printed   immediately   below   the   title   of   the                   newspaper.                   

Section 6(2)  Revoke or suspend a permit                   

Section 6(2) allows the Minister to revoke or suspend a permit for any desirable                   period of time.

Section 13A  Final decision of the Minister                   

In respect of granting, revoking or suspending of a printing press licence or a                   publication permit, Section 13A of the Act grants any decision of the Minister                   as   final.   The   decision   shall   not   be   called   in   question   by   any   court   on   any                   ground whatsoever.  

(c)    Control of Undesirable Publications          The following are various legislations related to the control of undesirable         publications:            

Section 8(1)  Unlawful to possess any prohibited publication            

In   controlling    undesirable     publications,    Section   8(1)  of  the   Act   makes    it            unlawful   for   anyone   to   possess   any   prohibited   publication.   Upon  conviction,            the offender is liable to a fine not exceeding RM5,000

Section 8(2)  Unlawful to print, import, produce, etc. any prohibited publication  

Section     8(2)   makes     it  an   offence    for  anyone     to   print,   import,    produce,  reproduce,   publish,   sell,   issue,   circulate,   offers   for   sale,   distributes   or   in   his  possession   prohibited   publication.   Upon  conviction,   the   offender   is   liable   to  imprisonment         for  a  term   not   exceeding     three   years   or   fine  not   exceeding  RM20,000 or both.  

Section 8A(1)  Publishing false news   It is also an offence to publish false news under this Act. Section 8A(1) states  that the printer, publisher, editor and the writer of a publication that publishes  false news upon conviction is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding  three   years   or   fine   not   more   than   RM20,000   or   both.   It   is   also   an   offence   to  publish      false  news    under     this  Act.  

Section    8A(1)   states   that   the  printer,  publisher,   editor   and   the   writer   of   a   publication   that   publishes   false   news  upon conviction is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years  or   fine   not   more   than   RM20,000   or   both.   Those   charged   for   publishing   false  news under this Act will have to show proof that every measure was taken to  verify   the   truth   of   the   news   before   publishing   it.  

Section   8A(2)   of   the   Act  assumes   that   publishing   of   the   false   news   is   done   with   malice.   Legal   action  against   those   accused   with   maliciously  publishing   false   news   can   only   be  done with a written consent from the Public Prosecutor, Section 8A(3).  

Section 8B  Suppressing publication   The Act also empowers the authority to suppress publication for a period not  exceeding six months upon the application of the Public Prosecutor. The order  to suppress can be applied if anyone found guilty of any offence by any court  in respect of anything published in the publication, Section 8B.  

Section 9(1)  Withheld imported publication  

Imported publication can be withheld for delivery or returned to the sender by  an order from the Minister. Section 9(1) states that importation may be refused  if  any    article,  caricature,   photograph,      report,   notes,   writing,    sound,    music,  statement   or   any   other   thing   in   any   publication   that   is   prejudicial   to   public  order,     morality,     security,    or   relationship     with    any    foreign    country     or  government

ACTIVITY 2.4      

In your opinion, as an owner of an outlet offering photo-stating services      are   you   also   under   the   purview   of   the   Printing   Presses   and   Publishing      Act? Discuss.   

2.3          OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT 1972 (ACT 88)              

SELF-CHECK 2.3          If you were to find an envelope similar to the above, what would you do?         

? Open it, read the contents and keep it?         

? Destroy it?         

? Give it to a media organisation? or         

? Hand it to the police?  

The Official Secrets Act is enacted to revise and consolidate the law relating to the  protection    of  official  secrets.  With  the enforcement    of  this  Act,  three  related  legislations have been repealed as shown in Figure 2.3

Figure 2.3: Three related legislations have been repealed in the Official Secrets Act  

The following are the explanation of related factors with the Official Secrets Act.  

(a)    Official Secret         

Official   secret    is  defined   Section    2  of  the  said   Act   as  any document specified in the Schedule and any information and material relating thereto         and includes any other official document, information and material as may         be   classified   as   Top   Secret,   Secret,   Confidential,   or   Restricted   as   the case may be, by a Minister, the Menteri Besar or Chief Minister of a State or         such appointed public officer.  

(b)    Documents.

Documents       specified    in  the  Schedule     are  cabinet    documents,      records    of         decisions     and    deliberations     including   those    of  cabinet    committees;      state         executive      council     documents,       records     of   decision     and    deliberations         including      those   of   state  executive     council    committees;      and   documents         concerning national security, defence and international relations.  

(c)    Official and Public Service         

The   Act   further   clarifies   the   meaning   of   „official‰   as   anything   relating   to         public   service.   „Public   service‰   is   further   defined   as   any   public   services         referred   to   in   Article   132   of   the   Federal   Constitution,   any   local   authority,         any statutory authority, any person, authority, body declared by Minister to         be so, and in times of war, any government department of an allay.          

The main objective of the Act is to  ensure that government secrets do not         fall into the wrong hands. The Act makes it an offence for anyone to receive,         retain, release, transfer, publish, copy, collect, record or use any document whether   fully   or   partially,   that   is   labelled   as   official   secret   without   prior authorisation.                                       

Members of the media should be aware  of this particular provision of this         Act   because   it   prohibits   them   from  communicating   content   obtained   from          an   official   secret   document   whether   in   full   or   partially.   In   other   words,         writing a news item or broadcasting its content on television, radio or over         the   Internet   is   a   direct   violation   of  the   Act.   Even   though   the   information          contained in an official secret document may be newsworthy, it would be          an offence to use even part of it for a news item.             

ACTIVITY 2.5         

You   are   a   student   at   a   public   university.   You   are   going   to   sit   for   an         examination        tomorrow.      A   friend    offers   you    a   copy    of  tomorrow’s         examination   paper.   Will   you   be   committing   an   offence   if   you   accept   it?         Discuss with your classmates at myVLE.   Even   though   media   practitioners   should be   aware   of   the   consequences   of   such  actions, this does not mean that the Act is directed solely at them. In fact, the Act  is   applied   to   all   persons   whether   citizens   and   non-citizens,   former   and   present  government         officials  or   employees,      directors    of  companies      and    corporations  having dealings with the government. Everyone is prohibited from doing any of  the    above    acts  and    everyone     should    report   if  they   receive   any   official   secret  documents to the police and surrender it to them.   The following are the legislations related to official documents:     

Section 2A     

Section 2A allows the Minister to add, delete any of the provision for the schedule.     Any    public   officer  appointed    with   a  certificate  can  be  instructed   to  classify  any     official documents as Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, or Restricted.     

Section 2C     

In Section2C, authority to declassify any official document is vested with a Minister     or public officer responsible with any Ministry, department or Menteri Besar or Chief     Minister or principal officer in charge of administrative of a State.   The Act allows court proceedings to be held in camera as stipulated in Section 27.  In camera means that a court proceeding is held behind closed doors and members  of the public are barred from entering the courtroom. The public can be excluded  from proceedings if the prosecution applies on the grounds that publication of the  evidence is prejudicial to the safety of Malaysia

2.4          SEDITION ACT 1948 (ACT 15)            

ACTIVITY 2.6       

We   live   in   the   time   where   we   have   fictitious   election   results   that   elect   a         fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man who’s sending us         to war for fictitious reasons, whether itÊs the fiction of duct tape or the fiction         of orange alerts. ... We have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons.      We         are  against  this  war,  Mr.  Bush.  Shame   on  you,  Mr.   Bush, shame on you. CNN.com, 2003.         Above     is  the  partial  speech    made   by    the  Academy      Awards     Winner,        Michael     Moore,    lambasting     President   George    Bush    on  his  decision    of        attacking Iraq. Do you think the above speech is seditious? Discuss.   The Sedition Act 1948 is enacted to provide for the punishment of sedition.    

Section 2 of the Act states that „seditious‰ when applied to or used in respect    of any act, speech, words, publication or other thing qualifies the act, speech,    words,    publication or other thing as one having a seditious tendency.   In other words, hostility, ill will and dissatisfaction need not occur before action  for sedition can be taken. The prosecutors need only to prove that the words have  seditious tendency.   What constitutes seditious tendency?   Section 3 of the Act states any act, speech, word, publication or other thing that:  

(a)    To bring into hatred or contempt or excites dissatisfaction against any Ruler         or government;  

(b)     To  excite   the  subjects   of  any   Ruler   or  the   inhabitants    of  any   territory         governed by any Government to attempt to procure in the territory of the         Ruler   or   governed   by   the   Government,   the   alteration,   otherwise   than   by         lawful means, of any matter as by law established

(c)     To   bring   into   hatred   or   contempt  or   to   excite   dissatisfaction   against   the          administration of justice in Malaysia or in any State;   

(d)    To   raise   discontent   or   dissatisfaction  amongst   the   subjects   of   the   Yang   di-          Pertuan   Agong   or   of   the   Ruler   of   any  State   or   amongst   the   inhabitants   of          Malaysia or in any State;   

(e)    To    promote      feelings    of  ill-will and     hostility   between      different    races   or          classes of the population of Malaysia; or   

(f)     To   question     any   matter,    right,  status,   position,    privilege,    sovereignty      or          prerogative   established   or   protected   by   the   provisions   of   Part   III   of   the          Federal Constitution or Article 152, 153 or 181 of the Federal Constitution.   What are the acts that do not constitute sedition?   It is not considered seditious, if it involves any of the following acts:   

(a)    To show that any Ruler has been misled or mistaken in any of his measures;   

(b)    To point out errors or defects in any Government or constitution as by law          establish   (except   in   respect   of   any   matter,   right,   status,   position,   privilege,          sovereignty or prerogative referred to as sensitive issues;   

(c)     To   persuade     the   subjects    of  any   Ruler    to  attempt     to  procure     by  lawful          means the alteration of any matter in the territory of such Government; and   

(d)    To    point   out   with    a  view    to  remove     any    matters    producing      or   having          tendency to produce feelings of ill-will an enmity between different races or          classes of the population.      Section 4(1)-(2)  Punishment of sedition      The Act provides for the punishment of sedition. Section 4(1)-(2) of the Act makes it     an offence to make preparation or conspires to act in a manner as having seditious     tendency,   utter,   print   or   publish   seditious  matter   as   it   is   an   offence   to   posses   or     import     seditious   materials.   For  these   offences,   the  court   may   impose     a  fine  not     exceeding RM5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both.                                                 

Section 9  Suspension due to sedition    

Section   9   of   the   Act   also   provides   for   the   suspension   of   newspaper   that   has   been    convicted     of  sedition.   Newspapers      organisations    that  have   been   convicted    of    sedition,   the   court   may   impose   total   or   partial   suspension   of   a   newspaper;   total   or    partial involvement of newspaperÊs personnel from assisting another newspaper; or    imposing condition for use of printing press and finally seizure of printing press.            

ACTIVITY 2.7        As a student leader, would you be subjected to the Sedition Act? Would       you be able to debate on any issue? What are the limitations imposed by       the Act on you?   

2.5           DEFAMATION ACT 1957 (ACT 286)  

The    Defamation      Act   is  enacted   to  act as   law   of  libel  and   slander    and   other  malicious falsehoods. The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Law defines defamation  as:     „Publication   of   a   statement   about   a   person   that   tends   to   lower   his   (or   her)    reputation in the opinion of right thinking members of the community or to    make them shun or avoid him (her).‰   Defamation can in certain circumstances be considered a crime. Prosecution for  criminal   defamation   is   provided   for   in  the   Penal   Code.   Criminal   defamation   is  instituted when the state is defamed.   Defamation only occurs when the words used are defamatory in the natural and  ordinary meaning or by reason of an innuendo. An innuendo refers to a special  meaning   understood   by   people   having   knowledge   of   a   particular   extrinsic   fact.  Vulgar abuse is not enough to constitute defamation.   The    defamatory      words     used   must    refer  to   the  plaintiff   whether     directly   or  indirectly     through     an  innuendo.      The   plaintiff   needs    to  show    also   that   the  defamatory   words   are   published   to   a   third   party.   The   third   party   should   be   a  reasonable person who is capable of regarding the words as defamatory

There are two forms of defamation as shown in Figure 2.4:                                 

Figure 2.4: Two forms of defamation   Let us now look at the two forms of defamation one by one.    (a)   Libel         

Libel is to defame someone in a permanent form. Section 3, of the Act makes         provision       for   treating    broadcasting       of   words     by    means     of   radio         communication shall be considered as publication in a permanent form.           Libel is a tort. A tort is a wrongful act for which damages can be obtained in         a civil court by the person wronged. Thus, it is actionable per se .           The   following     is  the  example     of  libel  suit  filed  by   the  Japanese     Prime         Minister Yoshiro Mori against one of the magazines in Japan named Weekly         Gendai.            Japanese   Prime   Minister   Yoshiro   Mori   on   Tuesday   filed   a   libel   suit   with   the           Tokyo District    Court   against   a  magazine     which   published    an   article and           photographs allegedly      linking   him  to  a  right-wing   gangster,   Chief   Cabinet           Secretary  Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday, December 13.            Mori is demanding the publisher of the Weekly Gendai to pay 30 million yen           (267,000     dollars)  in   damages     and   print   an  apology,    the   top   Japanese           government spokesman told a press conference.            Fukuda said the magazine „severely damaged the prime minister’s honour and           public   trust  by   providing    wrongful    information    that  the   prime   minister           had  close exchanges with the person in the pictures.‰ /People’s Daily, 2000   

(b)   Slander          

Slander is defaming someone not in a permanent form. In other words, it is         by   way   of   mouth.   Slander   is   different   from   libel   because   to   succeed   in   an         action for slander, the plaintiff must prove special damages. Slander is not actionable  per     se .  Special   damages     need    not   be  proved     if  it  involves         slandering     women      (Section   4),  slander   affecting   official,  professional    or         business reputation (Section 5) and slander of title (Section 6).          

The following is an example of a defamation suit made by UMNO against         opposition party information chief, Ruslan Kassim.           

UMNO   took   the   first   steps   yesterday   to   silence   the   voices   of   slander   against           government leaders.            Its lawyers filed a RM10 million (S$4.47 million) defamation suit against Parti           Keadilan   Nasional   information   chief   Ruslan   Kassim   for   accusing   Datuk   Seri           Megat Junid Megat Ayob of having stashed RM80 million in banks in Israel.            They obtained a court order to restrain the opposition politician from repeating           the statement about the Consumer Affairs and Domestic Trade Minister/                                                                             PeopleÊs Daily, 2000            

ACTIVITY 2.8        

1.   Can you file a suit against a person whom you feel has insulted you in a             way   that   has   ruined   your   reputation    in   the  company   that   you    are             working for? Explain.        

2.   Can    you    be  accused    of  defamation,      if  you  are   merely    repeating   something that is defamatory? Explain.   

2.6          PENAL CODE   

The Penal Code is a comprehensive legislation that provides for consolidation of  laws relating to criminal offences. The Code covers a broad spectrum of criminal  offences but we shall focus on a few key sections that are related to the workings  of media practitioners and their organisations alike. These sections are as listed in  Figure 2.5

Figure 2.5: Sections in Penal Code   Table 2.1 explain the various sections related to Penal Code.                          

Table 2.1: Various Sections Related to Penal Code      

Section Description     Section 131    

Section 131 refers to abetting mutiny. The law states that whoever abets                    in   the  committing      of  mutiny    shall be    liable  upon   conviction    with                    imprisonment for a term up to twenty years and liable to fine.                     If mutiny occurs as a consequence of that abetment, the death sentence                    may     be  imposed    on   those  convicted    or  imprisonment      not  exceeding                    twenty years and fine.    

Section 292    

Section 292 refers to various offences in relation to obscene materials. It                    is an offence to sell, hire, distribute, exhibit, import or export of obscene                    materials   in   the   form   of   a   book,   pamphlet,   paper,   drawing,   painting                    representation or figure or any other obscene object whatsoever. Those                    convicted can be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding                    three months or with fine or both.                                                

Section 298     Section 298 makes it an offence to utter words, make any sound or make                   gesture   with   deliberate   intent   to   wound   the   religious   feelings   of   any                   person.                    Upon   conviction,   the   court   can   impose   imprisonment   for   a   term   not                   exceeding one year, fine or both.   

Section        

Section 298A refers to acts that cause disharmony, disunity, enmity and   298A            hatred on religious grounds either through words spoken or written; or                   by signs; or visible representations are punishable upon conviction with                   imprisonment not less than two years but not exceeding five years.   

Section 299    

Section   299   provides   for   action   to   be   taken   against   those   who   commit                   criminal   defamation.   Defamation   can  be   in   the   form   of   words   either                   spoken or intended to be read or by signs, or any visible representations.                   Upon     conviction,    those  found    guilty of   criminal   defamation     can   be                   sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or with                   fine or both.               

SELF-CHECK 2.4         

What   is   the   defence  for   those   accused   of   maliciously   publishing   false         news? Explain.  

? Media laws refer to a set of laws that regulate media and practitioners alike.  

? To   be   an   effective   worker,   every   media   practitioner   should   have   a   working       knowledge of the various media laws that are currently being enforced in this       country.  

? After       going     through     this   topic,    you    would     have    gained     rudimentary       knowledge of the various legislations discussed.  

? Thus, if you are going to work with a media organisation upon graduation,       the   insight    gained    in  this  topic   would     allow    you   to  know     what    are   the       acceptable legal limits of this profession

The set of legislations called media laws are:       

? Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 (Act 301);       

? Official Secret Act 1972 (Act 88);       

? Sedition Act 1948 (Act 15);       

? Internal Security Act (Act 82);       

? Defamation Act 1957 (Act 286); and      

? Penal Code.  

Defamation Act 1957 (Act 286)                 

Penal Code   Internal Security Act (Act 82)                

Permit   Libel                                          

Printing Presses and Publication Act  Media laws                                    

1984 (Act 301)                                                 

Sedition Act 1948 (Act 15) 

Official and public service                                                

Slander  Official Secret Act 1972 (Act 88)  

Official secrets