Media laws at Mongolia
Mongolia's media landscape is governed by a combination of constitutional guarantees, regulatory frameworks, and self-regulatory bodies. While the legal environment provides for media freedom, practical challenges such as political influence, lack of transparency, and limited safeguards against media concentration persist. Here's an overview:
📜 Legal Framework
Constitutional Guarantees: The Mongolian Constitution ensures freedom of speech and the press Defamation was decriminalized in 2015, signaling a commitment to protecting journalistic expression
Law on Freedom of the Press (1998): This foundational law is currently under reform In October 2024, the Ministry of Justice introduced a draft law aimed at enhancing press freedom, addressing issues like journalist protection, media transparency, and the definition of disinformation
🏛️ Regulatory Bodies
Media Council of Mongolia (MCM) Established in 2015, the MCM is an independent body overseeing print, broadcast, and online medi. It promotes ethical journalism, protects journalists' rights, and handles public complaint.
Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) The CRC manages broadcasting licenses and enforces regulations for TV, radio, and online medi. However, its independence is questioned due to government appointments and limited transparenc.
🔍 Media Ownership and Transparency
*Ownership Transparency: While TV and radio broadcasters must disclose ownership to the CRC, print and online media face no such requiremens This lack of transparency hinders public understanding of media ownership structurs.
*Political Affiliations: A significant portion of media outlets have direct or indirect links to political parties or politicians, raising concerns about editorial independene.
*Media Concentration: Mongolia lacks specific regulations to prevent media monopolies or cross-media ownership, posing risks to media pluralim.
⚖️ Press Freedom Challenge
Despite legal protections, journalists face practical challengs:
*Political Pressure: Investigative journalists have been targeted with harassment and legal charges, often linked to their reporting on corruptin.
*State Influence: Government advertising is often distributed without clear criteria, potentially influencing media contet.
✅ Recent Development
The proposed Press Freedom Bill aims o:
Define disinformation cleary.
Protect journalists' rights, including safeguarding confidential sourcs.
Enhance media transparency and accountabiliy.
This initiative is seen as a positive step toward strengthening press freedom in Mongola.
RELATED Blog
0 comments