New Zealand bans satire and ridicule of MPs in Parliament

[mandy]

New Zealand's Parliament has voted itself far-reaching powers to control satire and ridicule of MPs in Parliament, attracting a storm of media and academic criticism.

The new standing orders, voted in last month, concern the use of images of Parliamentary debates, and make it a contempt of Parliament for broadcasters or anyone else to use footage of the chamber for "satire, ridicule or denigration"...

University of Auckland law professor Paul Rishworth told the NZ Herald that the requirement that coverage should not be used for satire or ridicule was worrying "for these can be legitimate tools in the commentator's armoury for offering robust commentary - and freedom of expression certainly protects political debates".

He doubted that the rules were justified. "Having a broad rule in place can deter legitimate speech, even that which would ultimately have been found permissible by a narrow reading of the rule."...

full article: http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=38302&c=1