The Right of Reply (pending in Senate)
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Justice Malcolm once wrote that public opinion should be the constant source of liberty and democracy rising superior to any official, or set of officials, to the Chief Executive, to the Legislature as well as the Judiciary. Our Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. However, the interest of society demands not merely the right to express one's thoughts but the right to an educated and enlightened public opinion. Essential to the protection of the freedom of expression is the promotion of a full discussion of public affairs. The freedom of speech and expression enshrined in the Constitution necessarily embraces a correlative right of reply, which is the right to reply to every form of expression protected under the Constitution, especially to accusations or criticisms published or aired through the mass media.
The right of reply gives people who feel aggrieved by baseless comments the right to defend themselves against criticism as it offers a possibility to react to any information in the media presenting inaccurate acts which affect their personal rights. These very same people have Constitutionally protected rights which are infringed by comments which may tarnish their reputations.
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