President Luis Abinader has signed into law a new measure designed to safeguard the professional integrity of journalists in the Dominican Republic. Law 38-24 establishes a “conscience clause” that grants journalists the right to sever their employment if they feel their professional ethics or independence are being compromised.
The legislation, enacted on 9 August 2024, provides a legal framework to protect journalists from being forced to produce content that conflicts with their personal beliefs. According to Article 3 of the law, “the Dominican journalist’s conscience clause is recognized in the exercise of their freedom of information as a guarantee to preserve the objective nature of that freedom, its role as a fundamental piece in the democratic system, and its purpose as a right to transmit and receive free and pluralistic information.”
The law defines the “conscience clause” as an implied term in a journalist’s employment contract, allowing them to terminate their...
