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{
    "id": 251980,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/251980/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 214,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Kagwe",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Information and Communications",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 229,
        "legal_name": "Mutahi Kagwe",
        "slug": "mutahi-kagwe"
    },
    "content": "Further, my Ministry is consulting with the Attorney-General with a view to fast-tracking to Parliament the long overdue Media Bill that will set the benchmark for the self-regulation of the media industry. I am appealing to hon. Members to support this Bill when it comes to this House. However, we must not lose sight of what is good, and I beg that we do not. We must not lose sight of the fact that not the entire media is guilty of this crime. The media houses which observe the tenets of journalism must be encouraged to continue doing so. Indeed, it is the expectation of the Ministry that independent media houses will also come out in the open to condemn such irresponsible practices, if the media industry is to earn the respect of all and sundry. My Ministry is, therefore, sponsoring the Media Bill, a statutory mechanism, that will not April 26, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 731 only set the benchmark for media practice in Kenya but will also ensure accountability by both the media and the public. The Bill will also establish a regulatory framework upon which people aggrieved by the media can seek redress. It is a fact that this Government, more than any other, has been the focus of the media in so many ways. It is still a fact that this Government remains committed to freedom of the media. Responsibility of the media is not something we are asking. It is something that we are now demanding. As the Ministry that deals with information, communication and technology, I hereby table the hard copy of this statement, a CD of the broadcast and two floppy diskets that are basically a translation into English and Kiswahili of the same broadcast."
}