On Monday, Aug. 27, Brazilian civil society organizations launched the campaign "Freedom of Expression--A New Law for a New Time," reported the National Forum for the Democratization of Communication. The campaign marks the 50th anniversary of the Brazilian Telecommunications Law and calls for a new "general communication law" that defends plurality, diversity, and equal access to media and telecommunications in the South American country.
On Thursday, Aug. 23, the Colombian Supreme Court announced a libel lawsuit against a journalist, and criticized commentaries published by another journalist, reported the newspaper El Tiempo and the magazine Semana. The court was upset over the columns that questioned and criticized some of the court's decisions.
The Bolivian government said that it would sue the Fides News Agency (ANF in Spanish) for alleged defamation against Bolivian President Evo Morales, although the case is still being analyzed by a legal team, reported the newspaper Los Tiempos.
On Monday, Aug. 20, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) declared the blockade on the circulation of newspapers in Argentina a "press freedom violation." “While the unions have a legitimate right to express themselves, their actions cannot limit the right to press freedom nor restrict people’s access to the information that the news media disseminate," IAPA said.
A reporter from the Brazilian newspaper Jornal da Tarde, in São Paulo, will run for city council this year 2012 elections in order to cover the campaign from a different perspective, reported the newspaper's website.
The killings of 12 Brazilian journalists between August 2010 and July 2012 prompted the National Association of Newspapers (ANJ in Portuguese) to announce a "special alert," reported the news agency EFE. The alert was announced during the opening of the 9th ANJ Congress, on Monday, Aug. 20, in São Paulo.
The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji in Portuguese) won the National Association of Newspapers (ANJ in Portuguese) Prize for Press Freedom on Monday, Aug. 20, reported Ancelmo Gois in his column for the newspaper O Globo. The prize was awarded during the 9th Brazilian Congress of Newspapers in the city of São Paulo.
Three journalists and a photographer were detained on Wednesday, Aug. 15, after covering an oil spill in the city of Freites, in the state of Anzoátegui, in Venezuela, reported the site La Patilla.
A Colombian journalist was attacked and threatened by unknown individuals in Ecuador after publishing a detailed report about the lack of freedom of expression in Ecuador and the recent decision of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa to give asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, reported the newspapers Hoy and La Hora.
A slew of attacks and threats against journalists took place over the last week in Argentina. After being beaten, one journalist also received a death threat in the village of Sancti Spirtiu in the province of Santa Fe on Tuesday, Aug. 14, reported the Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA in Spanish).