9/18/2019 DRAFT OF THE MEDIA COUNCIL ACT MARCH 2019 All orders and decisions of the Council shall be authenticated by the signature of the Chairperson or any other member authorised by the Exco in this behalf and other instruments issued by the Council shall be authenticated by the signature of the secretary or any other officer of the Council authorised in like manner of this behalf. Part 3 – Code of Conduct 17. Creation of Code of Conduct (1) The Exco shall prescribe a Code of Conduct for the media industry. The Code of Conduct and any amendments thereto shall be laid before a general meeting of the Council, and the Exco shall be obliged to seek the views of the membership of the Council before prescribing the Code of Conduct. (2) A breach of the Code of Conduct shall constitute professional misconduct. Part 4 – Dispute Resolution Mechanisms 18. Power to censure (1) Where, on receipt of a complaint made to it or otherwise, the Council has reason to believe that a newspaper, news agencies or broadcasting stations or online media, has offended against the standards of journalistic ethics or public taste or that an editor or a working journalist has committed any professional misconduct, or broadcasting stations, the editor or journalist concerned an opportunity of being heard, hold an inquiry in such manner as may be provided by regulations and, if it is satisfied that it is necessary to do, may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, warn, admonish or censure the newspaper, the news agency, the broadcasting station, the editor or the journalist or disapprove the conduct of the editor or the journalist, as the case may be; (2) Provided that the Council may not take cognizance of a complaint if in the opinion of the Chairman, there is no sufficient ground for holding an inquiry. (3) If the Council is of the opinion that it is necessary or expedient in the public interest so to do, it may require any newspaper to publish therein in such manner as the Council may think fit, any particulars relating to any inquiry under this section against a newspaper or news agency, broadcasting station, an editor or a journalist working therein, including the name of such newspaper, news agency, broadcasting station, online media, editor or journalist. https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTQHOj6esm_LYu7fWu5A2JoJPEPe0REt-QLDK-zoiy4iDweb0JuVmKtMOGuT_JsQ85h_icuE4KlH6Xb/pub 10/13