NEW GUIDELINES IN JAPAN TO PREVENT BIAS IN MEDIA CRIME REPORTS
January 19th 2008 02:47
The Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association released guidelines on Wednesday reaffirming the need to stamp out bias in crime reports ahead of the introduction next year of lay judges in criminal trials.
Kyodo News reports that among the areas drawing attention is the tendency to implicate criminal suspects as the actual perpetrators.
Kyodo News said the major media association worked out the guidelines for its 140 member newspapers, news agencies and broadcasters after the government considered restricting media freedom in the process of formulating the lay judge law, which was enacted in 2004.
The National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan is expected to announce similar guidelines soon.
Under the lay judge law, a panel of three professional judges and three citizens, serving as lay judges – to be chosen at random from lists of eligible voters – will oversee trials of serious crimes, including murder.
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