DHARAMSHALA, India, 9 September 2006 — A media workshop and the fourth seminar of the Association of Tibetan Journalists was held from 5 to 7 September.

The heads of the three pillars of the Tibetan government-in-exile: the Judiciary, the Legislature and the Executive — Chief Justice Mr Namgyal Tsering, Chairman of the exile Tibetan Parliament Mr Karma Choephel and Prime Minister Prof Samdhong Rinpoche attended the opening ceremony of the event.

Other attendants were government Secretaries, representatives of NGOs and the members of the ATJ.

Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche said that truth should be the weapon of journalists: They must be fearless in publishing the truth and their stories shouldn't incite violence.

Chairman Karma Choephel said, on similar lines that journalists must base their stories on truth and idealism. Journalists must have courage and a sense of fairness, and their works should have credibility. They should also have high morals and they should be knowledgeable.

The President of ATJ Lobsang Wangyal in his opening speech explained the need for and the outline of the workshop and the agendas of the event.

The workshop included topics on the 'Principles of news reporting and writing' given by Tsering Tsomo, a Delhi University PG Diploma holder.

Pema Thinley, Editor of Tibetan Review, spoke on the Media and Law. Tenzin Norgay, UN Affairs Personnel of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, spoke about the Human Rights situation in Tibet and how best to report on it.

The official biographer of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mr. Ngawang Thondup Narkyid, spoke on the usage of Tibetan language in the Tibetan media.

The workshop covered a wide range of topics from basic news reporting and writing (as in the popular Inverted Pyramid) to judging sensibly which news stories to avoid (such as those which would hurt national interests, defame character, invade personal privacy, etc.).

The seminar focused on expanding the scope of Article 12 of the exile Tibetan Charter. Article 12 Clause 2 guarantees Freedom of Speech, and Clause 4 guarantees the Right to publication of views in newspapers and periodicals.

Lobsang Wangyal asserted that Article 12 and Clauses 2 and 4 as they stand now are ambiguous and out-dated, and hence there is a need for clarification and amendment to expand the scope of the Article and the clauses for the interests of the Tibetan people, the work of journalists and the development of the Tibetan democracy.

The members later agreed upon formation of a drafting committee to prepare a second draft of a proposal to be presented to the exile Tibetan Parliament for their consideration for possible changes in the Charter. The first draft was written by Dr NK Trikha, an eminent Indian journalist in Delhi.

Article 19 of the Constitution of India mentions Freedom of Speech and Expression with clear indications imposing reasonable restrictions on the exercise of this freedom in the interest of the following.

1. The sovereignty and integrity of India.
2. The security of the State.
3. Friendly relations with foreign States.
4. Public order.
5. Decency or Morality.
6. Contempt of court.
7. Defamation.
8. Incitement.

The ATJ sees the above points relevant and important as these will provide automatic guidelines for journalists. Also the proposal will include an additional clause concerning the Right to Information for the citizens of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

The second drafting committee will finish the proposal by the end of September.