While we are still feeling the shock of the murders of journalists in Paris, we should think about our own law on the freedom of newspapers and magazines. How is it different from the law in France?
The law is probably not very different but the practice might be. The 1990 New Zealand Bill of Rights says that everyone has the right to express their ideas and opinions. However, there are limits to free speech. We must respect the privacy and rights of other people. Hate speech or pictures are not allowed. You cannot express racist opinions. You cannot make a speech or write an article encouraging people to be violent.
In New Zealand, people have the right to practise their own religion. This is called religious tolerance. It is the same in France. In addition, everyone has the right to join with others to protest in a peaceful manner.
The media have to consider good taste and decency. Although different people have different ideas of good taste and decency, this probably means no pictures of naked people. However, the media has an important role in speaking out against corruption by public officials. That is why freedom of speech is so important.
In practice, our media do not usually print cartoons showing negative views of different religions. If TV viewers or radio listeners think something is not in good taste, they can complain to the BSA (Broadcasting Standards Authority). The Press Council deals with complaints about articles or cartoons in newspapers or magazines. People can also write a Letter to the Editor of the paper or magazine to give their opinion. There is also social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
Vocabulary
• tolerance (n) – allowing other people to be different from you and have different ideas from you
• good taste – views of people about what is OK and what is not OK in our society
• decency (n) – opposite: indecency = showing private parts of the body; showing sexual acts
• media (n, pl) – TV, radio, and the print media (newspapers, magazines)
Note: practise (v), practice (n) – British English makes this distinction in spelling