Independent UN experts on Thursday called for the suspension of Cambodia’s newly issued Charter for Professional Journalism and urged a thorough review to reform it to ensure that it aligned with international human rights standards.
The Ministry of Information officially implemented the charter on August 6, 2024. Stakeholders were given 10 days to provide feedback after the consultation on the draft Charter for Professional Journalism but four days after the deadline, the ministry published it without further discussion.
During the consultation, only two organizations, UNESCO and Cambodian Journalists Association (CamboJA), requested for more time to review and provide input, while others fully supported the charter, despite the fact that all participants received the draft on the consultation day.
“No comprehensive consultations were held as part of the process of developing the charter and a few stakeholders were given only nine days to comment. Just four days after the deadline, the charter was promulgated without the possibility of further discussion on the input by relevant parties,” the experts said.
There were concerns that the charter’s broad scope “targeted not just journalists and media outlets, but also publishers, associations and social media users”. The experts criticized it for lacking public interest safeguards and failing to provide clear remedies for media errors, such as the right to correction and reply.
Instead, it focused on combating misinformation without ensuring proper verification of information before publication.
Critics of the charter also pointed to its development process, led by the ministry, as “exclusionary and non-transparent”. The UN experts stressed that any media code should be created by and for the media and should be monitored by an independent body, free from government control.
Tep Asnarith, spokesperson of the Ministry of Information, stated that the call to suspend the Charter for Professional Journalism “disregarded the will and consensus of the actors and stakeholders” in Cambodia’s media and audiovisual sectors who were involved in its preparation. The charter had been widely welcomed even before and after its official promulgation, he said.
“The UN experts’ attitude is a major failure and does not value the ministry’s efforts as the part of the government which fulfilled its role in facilitating consultations and gathering input from participants and stakeholders,” Asnarith said.
He explained that the charter’s creation was in response to requests from journalists and journalist associations to coordinate the development of common principles. The goal was to “ensure order in the media landscape” and promote journalism values.
“The statement made by the UN experts don’t fully reflect the significance of an open, inclusive consultation process and active participation of stakeholders throughout the four-month process, from April 2024 until the date of promulgation,” he remarked.
Over 550 participants in two major workshops gave feedback and suggestions, contributing to the process from the initial consultation through to the final result, Asnarith said.
The charter was drafted based on legal frameworks, including the Cambodian Constitution, Press Law, Law on the Organization and Functioning of the Ministry of Information, Law on Consumer Protection, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and UNESCO media guidelines, among other relevant regulations.
Chhan Sokunthea, executive director of Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), told CamboJA News that independent media associations raised concerns prior to the UN’s call to suspend the charter.
The independent media associations and institutions, coordinated by CamboJA, submitted input to the ministry, but it is unclear how much input was incorporated into the charter.
“I am worried that the launch happened too soon, without enough time to thoroughly examine and provide adequate input. Some content still needs clarification and discussion,” she explained. Sokunthea also said many journalists may not fully understand the charter due to the lack of preparation.
She urged the ministry to heed the UN’s request, emphasizing the need for careful consideration in the interest of journalists and society as a whole.
As a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Cambodia must uphold the freedom of expression, press freedom, and access to information, the UN stressed. They highlighted that journalists not only exercise these rights but also play a key role in providing the public with access to information.
They also emphasized the role of free and independent media in fostering democracy and sustainable development, calling on Cambodia to reform laws and policies that hinder press freedom.
