OSCE media freedom representative welcomes Romanian Constitutional Court's ruling against 'good news' bill

VIENNA, 11 July 2008 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, welcomed today the Consitutional Court of Romania's ruling that a draft amendment obliging broadcasters to air "good news" was unconstitutional.

"It is especially valuable that the Constitutional Court based its ruling on freedom of expression considerations, thereby setting standards that will help guard against future attempts by politicians to interfere with editorial autonomy," said Haraszti.

"I hope the decision will serve as a guideline for the Constitutional Court in future deliberations on matters related to media freedom," he added.

The draft law requiring television and radio stations to ensure 50 percent of their coverage consists of "good news" was unanimously adopted by Romania's Senate (upper house) on 25 June, although both the Chamber of Deputies (lower house) and the Senate's human rights commission had rejected the amendment. The National Audiovisual Council of Romania and the Union of Professional Journalists had also opposed the proposal.