Vietnam Tightens Control Over Media With Press Law Changes
A vendor arranges newspapers at a stall in Hanoi.
Photographer: Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images
Vietnam’s parliament passed amendments to the press law that tighten restrictions over information gathering and sharing, potentially putting more pressure on journalists and their sources.
The changes significantly widen the scope under which journalists can be required to reveal their sources, expanding the range of cases that disclosure orders can be applied to, and weakening existing protections for confidentiality. The new law also adds the police to the list of authorities that can make the request, a power that was previously only held by the courts.