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Cantonal Government and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports in the Una – Sana Canton (USK – Bihać) formed a Working group for the drafting of a new law on information in order to regulate the media space of the USK, as well as limit hate speech, fake news and other harmful content that spreads through new media and social networks.
New Low aimed to innovate the Law on Information from 1998, with a focus on the expansion of internet media, and the need to prevent the spread of hateful content via the internet. The new legal solutions will oblige the media to self-regulate and remove inappropriate content from the portal, whereby the competent Ministry will have the authority to, through its Inspectorate, fine the media for misdemeanors if they do not remove problematic content within the stipulated time. The law plans to give operators and local internet providers the opportunity to ban certain sites and individuals if the Ministry determines that they have published fake news that is contrary to the public interest or may lead to security threats.
The BH Journalists’ Steering Committee reacted with a statement and reminded Una – Sana Canton´s authorities that the spread of hate speech and fake news, as well as the moderation of hateful content on the Internet have not been successfully resolved anywhere in the world, since it is not easy to find legal mechanisms and balance freedom of expression and its legitimate limitation in the interest of the public. The BHJA SC also noted that some of the issues that are sought to be regulated by the new Law in USK have already been standardized through the competences of the regulatory and self-regulatory bodies in BiH, or should be legally defined through the actions of the state Parliament, that is, authorities at the state level. Seen from the point of BHJA view, too much (self) regulation and legal norms are not always effective, and can cause damage to media freedom, perhaps even greater than those caused by the lack of legislation.
The BHJA SC requested the authorities in the USK that all activities related to the adoption of the new Act on Information in the USK should be harmonized with the Digital Services Act of the European Union (Digital Services Act – DSA), which refers to all internet platforms and preventing the spread of potentially harmful content. At the same time, the Board of Directors of BHJA requested the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and the Assembly of USK to include a representative of the BHJA Club of Journalists of the Una-Sana Canton in the present Working Group.