Editor-in-chief says journalism, media laws need updating

Santo Domingo.- The ElNuevo Diario editor-in-chief and Dominican Newspapers Association president on Sundaysaid the laws that regulate the practice of journalism and the media need to beupdated under the Constitution of January 2010.

Persio Maldonado calledsomething unusual and an aberration to keep in effect the Penal Code and Law 6132which provide for imprisonment for press offenses or words.

He said it "doesn’tbehoove us" to keep in effect ct many articles of the Penal Code and calledthe fact that most journalists are not in jail for a lack of law enforcement, an“irony.”

Lecturing on "Rightto reply, correction, conscience clause and professional secrecy of thejournalist," Maldonado said the Constitution guarantees communicators´ rightsand urged those who practice journalism and the media to be ethical and have moralresponsibility.