NZ MPs Outlaw Satire of Parliament

Posted by kdawson on Saturday July 28, 2007 @08:45PM from the head-and-shoulders-only dept.

mernil writes "New Zealand's Parliament has voted itself far-reaching powers to control satire and ridicule of MPs in Parliament, attracting a storm of media and academic criticism. The new standing orders, voted in last month, concern the use of images of Parliamentary debates, and make it a contempt of Parliament for broadcasters or anyone else to use footage of the chamber for 'satire, ridicule or denigration.' The new rules are actually more liberal than the previous ones, but the threat of felony contempt is new."

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Re:Old News by mapkinase · 2007-07-29 03:03 · Score: 0, Redundant

"Throughout history and in many nations and cultures there has been a very constructive place for satire, quite a few bad politicians have been toppled by the satire (and ridicule) their actions provoked."[citation needed]

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I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.