This law has been waited by many Lao people since long time. Some of our leaders are really reluctant to grant this law. They try to pretend that in Laos everything is perfect. Because, they are probably afraid of criticism. If so, they are in vain to fear.   

If we are good and doing nothing wrong, probably nobody would criticise us, no doubt. As far as I remember, our leaders always teach us not to fear criticism, but instead we should criticise each other in our work, and that we can help one another to move together. No one would be perfect on earth. That everyone knows quite well. In this regard, why should we fear to have a law on mass media?.

In other countries, where the mass media is free to report the real situation on the ground, there are less corruption and their systems are transparent. That means their media helps either both their governments and people to know everything about their countries. And often these countries develop very well.
No need to go too far, Vietnam also has this kind of law.

 So far our mass medias have helped our government less than that in other countries. Lao medias can report only the one Lao government tells them, but cannot report what Lao people want our government to do for them, cannot report the difficulties faced by some Lao people, cannot report that some Lao authorities did something wrong.

Why? There is no law granted their right. As a result, our government cannot solve problem timely. Our government always get fake reports (the kind of flower reports) from our authorities in charged. Always -good, but at the end of day - very bad. That's why we move economy too slow.
 

-- Edited by TSP at 03:47, 2008-04-27

The European Union has donated US$90,000 to a project aimed at training Lao journalists to cover news more professionally.

The Lao Journalists' Association will run the two-year project with the Lao Women's Union , as it also aims to improve journalists' understanding of women's concerns.
The project was officially launched in Vientiane on Friday and is titled “Information and Women for Development in the Lao PDR”. European Union Ambassador to Laos Dr Friedrich Hamburger said the EU's financial support to the Lao Journalists' Association was part of its efforts to implement the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights. He said the objectives were to enhance journalism in Laos by improving its relevance, quality and diversity of information and also to strengthen the role of women in society.
“The project will contribute to strengthening the capacity of Lao journalists as a professional body, and make them able to improve the quality of the coverage of events relevant to women,” he said. “The project is also designed to produce new types of radio and TV programmes with the active participation of women.”
Lao Journalists' Association Vice President Somsanouk Mixay said the project manager was designing the course and would invite journalists to attend the course in the near future. Female journalists in provincial areas will be given priority, he added. He said the course would focus on development to help Lao journalists report about issues professionally. The course will be held twice a year, and it is hoped about 60 journalists will be trained throughout the project period. He said the trainers would be invited from Laos and neighbouring countries including Vietnam .
A member of the Lao Journalists' Association said the course was necessary for development of the industry, because many Lao journalists were unskilled. He said the project also aimed to help female journalists work more professionally, and may pave the way for media organisations to recruit more women to work in the sector. This is the first time the EU has financed a project directly supporting media in Laos .   By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
(Latest Update May 12 , 2008)