Muscat: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik on Sunday issued Royal Decree 58/2024 on the promulgation of the Media Law, after presenting the same before the Council of Oman. The new law ensures the freedom of expression and guarantees the right of members of society to freedom of expression and exchange of opinions.
It will promote sustainable development and raise community awareness of important issues by emphasizing the effective role of the media in community awareness and behavioral change. The law ensures a safe environment for media work and prevents restrictions on the press and media.
It emphasizes preventing the spread of misinformation and rumors that could harm the country's reputation and cause harm to the society with inappropriate content that can be an incitement to hatred and violence. The law seeks to promote transparency as a tool to combat rumours by providing information to the public and building an informed media culture.
The law has a clear legal framework for all media platforms such as print, visual, audio, or electronic. It ensures raising the level of quality of media production through Government communication by encouraging media professionals to adhere to professional ethical standards and ensuring the compatibility of the content with societal/religious values and principles.
All previous laws such as the Press and Publications Law, Artistic Works Censorship Law, and Private radio and television laws have been repealed.
In a statement, Dr Abdullah bin Nasser al Harrasi, Minister of Information, highlighted that the law aligns with Oman Vision 2040, responding to changes and advancements in media and the impact of modern digital technologies. "The law reinforces the mission of Oman’s media by upholding principles of objectivity, accuracy, full neutrality, and freedom of opinion and expression, under the country’s foundational laws and with a strong emphasis on the values of citizenship and national pride," he said.
Licenced required
A media person would require a licence to practice the following activities, which include advertising and publicity, consultations, rebroadcasting or recirculation of any activity, new agencies (including visual), media websites and news accounts, and media activity inside the country.
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