By Ingrid Bachmann
Argentine senators unanimously approved a bill guaranteeing free public information access in the country, reported La Nación. The measure will go to the House for debate at the end of the month, and is expected to be approved, added the state agency Télam and the publication Perfil.
A similar bill already is advancing in the House, but it has been criticized by civil organizations, explained Río Negro. According to Clarín, politicians are trying to manipulate the legislative process, so that the law that is approved is more superficial and ignores aspects that are sensitive to the government, such as sanctions and legal proceedings for non-compliance.
Although information access is a constitutionally recognized right, in Argentina there is no law on the subject, only a decree from 2003 that applies to the executive branch. The measure approved by the Senate was debated in committees for five months.
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.
