Rainbow Wellington

Have your say about freedom of expression in a digital age

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Category: News

Published on Saturday, 04 February 2012 15:58

Written by Super User

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We have received the following press release from the Human Rights Commission:
Groups and individuals interested in freedom of expression, free speech and the Internet are being urged to make submissions to the Law Commission’s report on the new media and rights and responsibilities in the digital age.

“The Human Rights Commission believes that the report, which examines how the new media should be regulated, provides an informed and comprehensive platform for a wider national conversation about freedom of expression and the internet,” says Commissioner Dr Judy McGregor.

“We would like to see individuals, community groups, media organisations, journalists and the wider Internet community, including users, read the report over the summer and provide feedback to the Law Commission by next March.
“In particular, it would be useful for groups interested in children’s safety and those communities affected by hate speech such as ethnic communities and disabled people’s organisations to provide feedback on the options set out in the Law Commission’s report.”

The Human Rights Commission will be making a submission on the report. It suggests legislative change to the Human Rights Act 1993, and recommends as one option, that a Communications Commissioner be established within the Human Rights Commission in relation to free speech issues.

“The new challenges for the promotion and protection of human rights and the Internet are critical for us all. Recently the Commission has had a strong role in promoting and protecting freedom of opinion and expression. We’ve worked on hate speech about race and disability and freedom of expression issues in electoral finance reform. We’ve also been involved in roundtable work with the Internet community on human rights in the digital age.”

In its recent review of the status of human rights in New Zealand the Human Rights Commission stated that section 61 of the Human Rights Act has had the most difficult history of any of the legislative provisions of the Act. It noted that in the past five years, despite some well publicised examples of offensive comments made by public figures, not one racial disharmony complaint had reached the legal threshold required to establish a breach of the Act.

Read the report:  The News Media meets ‘New Media’: Rights, Responsibilities and Regulation in the Digital Age, at: http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/news/2011/12/seeking-views-role-news-media