Colombia

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IAPA Midyear Meeting, March 29 to 31, 2019, Cartagena, Colombia
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WHEREAS there passed on first debate in Congress a bill that seeks to revive obligatory guild membership in order to work as a journalist in the country, whose text establishes a Council that would have the power to issue and withdraw the professional card, and would be made up by the government, journalist unions and some journalism school, card that according to the same project would not be needed to exercise journalism, but some public office

WHEREAS there was lodged a bill to promote "the good use" of social media, creating a tool for users of the networks to be able to counteract false or libelous news, this initiative would involve those who provide information services, committing them to take corrective action on fake news within 72 hours under penalty of being involved in the lawsuits that are carried out as a consequence of the false publication

WHEREAS Principle 2 of the Declaration of Chapultepec establishes that every person has the right to seek and receive information, express opinions and disseminate them freely. No one may restrict or deny these rights

WHEREAS Principle 5 of the Declaration of Chapultepec establishes that prior censorship, restrictions on the circulation of the media or dissemination of their reports, forced publication of information, the imposition of obstacles to the free flow of news, and restrictions on the activities and movements of journalists directly contradict freedom of the press.

THE IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING RESOLVES

to urge Congress to abstain from adopting the two previously mentioned bills and any other that ignores the principles of the Declaration of Chapultepec and the Salta Declaration, limits the practice of journalism or imposes restrictions on and punishments of the free circulation of contents and ideas.

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