While China frequently says it wants to become a nation of laws, legal language can be frustratingly vague, especially if the state wants to come after you.
This comes to mind with a recent fiat from the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), the all-powerful body that regulates printed media in China. The Oct. 30 circular says news organizations must pay full benefit packages to journalists, and that no one should obstruct news reports. Great!
Then it gets murky. Reporters and editors must ensure “the authenticity, accuracy, fairness, and objectivity of news reports,” it says, and are prohibited from “harming the interests of the State, citizens and enterprises.”
Whoa! Any journalist who is critical of anything could fall afoul of that one. And how would a court enforce what is fair and objective? What happens if companies produce shoddy goods, and a reporter writes about citizens’ complaints? Or what happens if the State harms the interests of the citizens?
The devil is in the details. And in the case of laws in China, its in the last several lines.
China must keep its laws vaque and subject to interpretation. This is to allow the government, through the judges, to interpret the law as the situation requires, to protect the interest of the government - and vaquely called the "state". "people", etc. It is out of necessity, and not foul intent.
Posted by: Larry | November 15, 2007 at 07:25 AM