Media Industry Development Act 2010 | |
---|---|
Citation | Decree No. 29 of 2010 |
Territorial extent | Fiji |
Passed | 25 June 2010 |
Repealed | 6 April 2023 |
Amended by | |
2015[1] | |
Status: Repealed |
The Media Industry Development Act 2010 (MIDA) was a law of Fiji which regulates the media. The law was promulgated by the military regime which seized power in the 2006 Fijian coup d'état, in the wake of the 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis, and required media organisations to be 90% Fijian-owned and forbade news reporting "against the national interest or public order", with repressive fines and jail terms for breaches.[2][3] It established the Media Industry Development Authority of Fiji to enforce the military regime's standards. Originally passed as a decree, it was later renamed an Act.[4]
A draft of the decree was announced in April 2010, with a compulsory meeting of media organisations required to give feedback on it.[5] The draft threatened jail terms of up to five years for journalists reporting "against the national interest or public order", and was condemned by international human rights organisations.[6] A final version with reduced penalties was promulgated in June 2010.[7]
The law was amended in 2015 to remove the $1,000 fine for journalists breaching the decree.[8] The amendments also permitted foreign pay-TV services provided they screened no local content other than advertising, excluding advertising by political parties, NGOs, foreign governments or multi-lateral agencies.
The United Nations Human Rights Council urged reform of the law to respect freedom of the press in Fiji's 2019 Universal Periodic Review.[9]
This was promulgated as Decree 29 of 2010. In accordance with section 3 of the Interpretation Act 1967, the word "Decree" used with reference to any such "Decree" in the title or provisions of any written law or in any document or legal proceeding may be replaced with the word "Act".