The government has implemented several laws and policies pertaining to support media freedom are as following:
1. Article 41 of Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (CDRTL);
2. Social Communication Law; and
3. Press Council of Timor-Leste (CITL);
Law and policy to support media freedom, are stipulated on the CDRTL, article 41, on "freedom of the press and mass media", which highlight in following paragraphs: (a) guaranteed freedom the press and other mass media; (b) Freedom of the press includes, in particular, freedom of expression and the creation of journalists, access to sources of information, editorial freedom, protection of independence and professional secrecy and the right to create newspapers, publications and other media; (c) the State ensures the freedom and independence of public media bodies from political and economic power; (d) The State ensures the existence of a public radio and television service that must be exempt, with a view, among other objectives, to the protection and dissemination of the culture and traditions of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and the guarantee of the expression of pluralism opinion.
The CDRTL guarantees the freedom of the press and mass media, as an important element to strengthen democracy in the country. Base on this, State Secretary for Social Communication established the Social Communication Law to reinforce media freedom and uphold regulations on media concentration. Additionally, the law is focusing to ensure, the professionals secrecy and its independent, freedom of expressions and promote the equality.
Pursuant the Social Communication Law, government established a media authority namely Press Council of Timor-Leste (CITL), assigns the role to supervise the conduct law and professional ethics of journalist, guarantee the freedom of journalism activities and the freedom information accessibility.
The main roles of CITL are as follow; (a) promote the freedom of expressions; (b) promote the independence of the media, and (c) ensure the professionalism quality of journalist.
In general, the law and policy to support media freedom are recognized to contribute toward the following National Strategies for cultural development (Details; Goal 1 National Strategy and Frameworks for Development of Cultural and Creative Sectors):
1. disseminate and promote cultural heritage;
2. cooperate with national and international universities to capacitate Timorese cultural professionals in development of cultural projects; and
3. create legal mechanisms to regulate the culture sector in Timor-Leste.
Reported achievements include;
1. established the Press Council of Timor-Leste (CITL);
2. established the National Authority of Communication (ANC); and
3. held the Dili dialog forum (DDF) provide a session of knowledge and experiences sharing among journalist and media experts from
the countries in Pacific and Southeast Asia region. Simultaneously, were discussed the actual issues of social communication,
challenge faced and upgrade the commitment on promoting the media freedom of expression.
N/A
| Nom du partenaire | Type d'entité |
|---|---|
Radio and Television of Timor-Leste (RTTL, EP) Association of East Timor Journalists (AJTL).
| Secteur public
|
Press Council of Timor-Leste (CITL)
| Secteur public
|
National Communications Authority of Timor-Leste (ANC)
| Secteur public
|
Association of East Timor Journalists (AJTL)
| Organisation de la société civile (OSC)
|