The Bolivian Constitutional Court ruled that insult crimes against public officials are unconstitutional, violating citizens' right to freedom of expression, reported the website Prensa Libre. While the decision was dated Sept. 20, the announcement was not made until Tuesday, Oct. 23, by Court president Ruddy Flores, according to the website.
Story Hunter, a global community of video reporters, recently released a four-minute documentary on the threats Mexican reporters face in Veracruz, a state where 11 journalists have been killed in the last 18 months. The Gulf-state of Veracruz is considered one of the 10 most dangerous places in the world for journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders.
"Ecuador is in the midst of a press freedom crisis," International Press Institute (IPI) Deputy Director Anthony Mills said on Tuesday, Oct. 23, on the group's website. Mills' words were part of a press release announcing the final report of IPI's press freedom mission to the Andean country from May 7 to 11.
Two Bolivian journalists were forced to flee to Brazil after suffering legal harassment by public officials on Oct. 13, reported the newspaper Opinión. The reporters from Cobija, capital of the northern department of Pando, claimed that officials with the department Prosecutor's office attempted to arrest them, according to the newspaper.
"Ecuador is in the midst of a press freedom crisis," International Press Institute (IPI) Deputy Director Anthony Mills said on Tuesday, Oct. 23, on the group's website. Mills' words were part of a press release announcing the final report of IPI's press freedom mission to the Andean country from May 7 to 11.
Fundamedios, a press organization, accused the Ecuadorian government of waging a smear campaign against it and private media in the Andean country, according to a statement on its website.
The Houston Chronicle unceremoniously closed its Mexico City bureau on Friday, Oct. 19, ending veteran foreign correspondent and bureau chief Dudley Althaus' 23-year run in the country, reported McClatchy Newspapers’ Tim Johnson on the blog Mexico Unmasked on Sunday, Oct. 21.
Mexican journalists denounced police attacks that interfered with their coverage of student protests in the city of Cherán, Michoacán, reported the organization Article 19.
Two Mexican journalists accused four police officers in the state of Puebla of abusing their authority after they detained the reporters and robbed them, reported the newspaper Milenio.
The National Newspaper Association of Brazil (ANJ) said the decision of its members to opt out of Google News en masse has made the service “very deficient” because it no longer has “the content with the highest credibility and quality in the nation.” However, ANJ reiterated its disposition to negotiate with Google a financial compensation for the use of the newspapers’ content.
After going missing for eight days, Brazilian journalist Anderson Leandro da Silva was found dead in a rural area outside Quatro Barras, in the city of Curitiba, on the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 18, reported the newspaper Gazeta do Povo.
The Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA in Spanish) denounced the "serious harassment" facing the media in a local community, the organization reported in a statement on its website on Tuesday, Oct. 16. According to FOPEA, this is the third time dispatchers for the newspaper El Debate have been attacked in Zárate, Buenos Aires, while delivering the publication.