The United States Department of State’s 2010 Human Rights Report says the relationship between the press and the government of Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa “continued to deteriorate” last year, EFE reports.
The report’s cited examples of this deterioration include:
* Freedom of the press exists constitutionally, but “the government restricted theses rights in practice.”
* The existence of a “hostile environment for journalists” due to President Correa’s plolemic radio addresses and penchant for criticizing specific reporters and media outlets.
*The use of “legal mechanisms to restrict the media,” including libel laws, broadcast license suspensions, and requirements that stations broadcast presidential speeches and government content.
The report was released days after Ecuador expelled the U.S. ambassador for comments revealed via WikiLeaks, and the U.S. retaliated by expelling the Ecuadoran representative from Washington.
See the full Department of State report here.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
