Gaza Reporters Boycott Forum On Hamas' New Laws for Media
Hamas has drafted a new media law that many local journalists claim restricts freedom of expression, Abeer Ayyoub reports.
Hamas has begun drafting a new law that it said would “regulate” the media in the Gaza Strip, which journalists and rights activists have criticized as restricting media freedom.
To discuss the draft with Gaza journalists, the Hamas-run government press office in Gaza last week held a forum to which more than 70 local journalists were invited. At least 60 boycotted.
“We are sorry not to see journalists here today. We invited them because we want them to share in the issuing of the law with their hands,” said Kamal al-Hadidi, head of the media production department at the Press Office, at the opening of the session.
One of the very few journalists attending, Dunia al-Amal Ismail, strongly opposed the new law for the lack of coordination with journalists, its inaccurate terms and the bad style of writing in its text.
