Chương 2 Nghị định 51/2002/NĐ-CP Hướng dẫn Luật Báo chí, Luật Báo chí sửa đổi: Quyền tự do báo chí, quyền tự do ngôn luận trên báo chí của công dân

Chapter II

CITIZENS RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
IN THE PRESS

Article 2.- Responsibilities of the press bodies

1. The press bodies shall exercise the right to freedom of the press and have to ensure the citizens right to freedom of the press and freedom of speech in the press according to the provisions of Vietnamese law.

2. The press bodies shall have to receive and publish or broadcast the citizens proposals, criticisms, news, articles, photos and other press works, whose contents are compatible with their guiding principles, objectives, service subjects and information orientations, not violating Article 10 of the Press Law and specific provisions of this Decree. In case of not publishing or broadcasting, within thirty (30) days, the press bodies shall have to reply the authors in writing or publish or broadcast their replies in the press in form of letter-box or message.

3. Upon receiving written replies from the State agencies competent to settle complaints and denunciations or from agencies, organizations or individuals regarding proposals or criticisms about matters raised or received by the press, the press bodies shall have to notify them to the organizations or citizens that have made complaints, denunciations, proposals or criticisms or print or broadcast such replies on their own press within ten (10) days, for the dailies, radio and television, fifteen (15) days for the weeklies, and on the nearest issue, for magazines.

Article 3.- Responsibilities of organizations and competent persons

When the State agencies, Party organizations, social organizations (referred collectively to as organizations) or competent persons receive opinions, proposals, criticisms and/or complaints from organizations and/or citizens, or citizens denunciations, forwarded by press bodies or published or broadcast in the press, within thirty (30) days after receiving them or after they are printed or broadcast in the press, the heads of such organizations or the competent persons shall have to notify the press bodies of the handling results or measures.

Past the above-said time limit, if not receiving any notices from the heads of the organizations or competent persons, the press bodies may transfer the citizens opinions, proposals, criticisms, complaints and/or denunciations to the higher-level agencies for settlement or raise the matters in the press.