Venezuela's Supreme Court emphasized one more time that freedom of expression is not an absolute right, and established various limitations to access to governmental information, reported El Tiempo.
Omar Rodríguez Saludes, Normando Hernández González and Mijail Bárzaga, who had been arrested in a crackdown on dissidents in March 2003, bring to nine the number of imprisoned journalists released by the Cuban government, reported the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
A group comprised of universities, media, and civil and press organizations that is promoting the Law of Transparency and Access to Public Information urged the Salvadoran legislature to approve in the short term "an effective law in accordance with international principles and best practices," reported El Mundo and El País.
Representatives from Brazil's media outlets sent a document to Minister Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes, the Secretariat of Strategic Affairs, arguing that "freedom to think and express opinions and information, without control by whomever, is the very essence of democracy," according to Folha de S. Paulo (link for subscribers) and O Globo.
The proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC 386/09) that would re-establish the requirement for a professional degree in order to practice journalism was approved Wednesday, July 14, by a special commission of Brazil's House of Representatives, reported Agência Câmara. The proposal first must be voted on by the full House before it can go to a vote in the Senate.
A proposal sent to Chile's Congress would amend the media finance law in order to give public funds to radio stations, newspapers, magazines and other media whose facilities or equipment was damaged during the Feb. 27 earthquake, reported UPI.
Mexico's National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) will investigate military agression against three journalists who covered a police operation in Nuevo Laredo, in the state of Tamaulipas, reported El Universal.
The pro-Chavez Necessary Journalism Movement asked the Venezuelan government to investigate the Institute of Press and Society (IPYS) and Public Space, which according to declassified documents receive millions of dollars in funding from the U.S. government, reported El Universal and El Nacional.
The media has attacked the former presidential candidate for her multimillion dollar lawsuit (now withdrawn) against the government for the harm she suffered during her six-year stay as a FARC hostage, AFP reports.
The Rio de Janeiro-based Jornal do Brasil will stop circulating its 119-year-old print edition and appear only online, O Globo reports. The paper’s owner, Nelson Tanure, says he will set the date for the changeover this week.