Gov’t defends press freedom amid journalists’ concerns

The government has asserted its commitment to having always “safeguarded press freedom” and the right to information, amid growing concerns from the local journalists’ association over what it has described as a “serious deterioration” of press freedom in the territory.

In response to calls from the Macau Journalists Association’s (AJM) to end “excessive restrictions” imposed on media workers, including access to press conferences, the Government Information Bureau (GCS) said it has “always safeguarded freedom of the press in accordance with the law,” protecting the right to reporting, news coverage, and access to information.

According to Lusa, the GCS said the growing demand for news coverage by external media outlets in Macau has led to prioritizing “television and radio media outlets, publications with greater frequency and news agencies,” which it described as a “common international practice.” The bureau said most official press conferences are broadcast live, allowing media outlets to obtain information through these broadcasts.

However, the AJM argued that a “growing number of recent activities promoted by local government departments have impeded the right to report of a range of media, through the use of an attendance registration system or by inviting only a select group of media to the events they have organized.” The association stressed that these actions “clearly contravene journalists’ ‘freedom of access to sources of information,’ a right enshrined in Macau’s press law.”

The concerns raised by the journalists’ association have also been echoed by lawmaker Ron Lam, who previously criticized the imposition of “unnecessary and unreasonable restrictions” on media participation in press conferences and government events. Victoria Chan