A group of Republican state representatives in Georgia on Tuesday introduced legislation that would establish a “journalism ethics board” that would enforce “canons of ethics” for journalists and news organizations in the state, drawing concerns from First Amendment advocates. State Rep. Andy Welch (R), the lawmaker spearheading the HB734 bill, recently complained about an interview with a reporter that he felt was unfair, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The bill would set up a board, consisting of current journalists and a journalism professor, who would develop and enforce “canons of ethics for journalism which shall comport with industry standards regarding factual and ethical reporting.” The board would evaluate media-related complaints from Georgia residents and penalize journalists by stripping their accreditation or putting them on probation. “That is not to say the freedom to report is not there,” Welch told reporters about his legislation. “It’s just a question about what it means to be a part of the press, and whether or not there should be a set of canons of ethics that all members of the media within the state of Georgia would be willing to live by.”

Source: Huffington Post April 03, 2019 16:30 UTC