Mexico and Honduras have joined the rank of countries where the press is not considered free or independent, according to a Freedom House study released Monday, May 2, reported the Christian Science Monitor. In fact, the report, Freedom of the Press 2011: A Global Survey of Media Independence, found that global press freedom has declined to its lowest levels in more than a decade, with Latin America experiencing the most severe setbacks. The report was released as part of World Press Freedom Day.
Unlike Mexico, where dozens of journalists have been killed in the last decade, Venezuelan journalists don’t work under a climate of constant threats to their lives, however they do face “systematic” pressure from the government, whose supporters are responsible for 28% of the attacks against the press, the Press and Society Institute (IPYS) reports.
A state judge in Brazil's Federal District (DF) sentenced Editora Abril – the company that publishes Veja magazine – and journalist Diego Escosteguy to pay $64,000 in damages to ex DF Governor Joaquim Roriz, reports Consultor Jurídico. The court ruled that Veja magazine used offensive language in a story that discussed the politician.
Barely more than a week after two Peruvian TV journalists claimed El Comercio fired them for failing to toe the party line, three reporters for Radio Líder resigned after reportedly being told to not criticize presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, Terra reports.
In response to the violent death of journalist David Niño de Guzmán, which has still not been ruled a homicide or suicide, Bolivian media workers have called for better working conditions and life insurance, AFP reports.
Several digital media outlets have begun a campaign in support of Colombian journalist Joaquín Pérez Becerra, a Swedish citizen who was extradited from Venezuela to Bogotá for alleged ties to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group.
Brazil’s National Union of Islamic Bodies (UNI) launched an online campaign to gather 5,000 signatures in order to sue Veja magazine for the April 6 article “Brazil’s Terror Network.”
Ecuador’s government backtracked on its decision to not renew El Universo newspaper’s presidential press credentials, El Comercio reports. This is in spite of an ongoing conflict between the daily and President Rafael Correa, who initiated an $80 million defamation suit against it in March.
After airing the contested results of Haiti's controversial legislative elections, the Haitian community radio station Tèt Ansanm Karis was destroyed by arson, reported the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
After recently announcing that it was going to hire 800 journalists and reduce its reliance on freelancers, now AOL's Patch.com is saying it wants to bring on 8,000 bloggers in the next week, reported Forbes blogger Jeff Bercovici.
In a new punch thrown in the fight between Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa and the opposition media, the government announced that it had suspended El Universo newspaper’s presidential press credential for its alleged “failure to comply with constitutional provisions,” El Nacional reports.
Canal 33 cameraman Alfredo Antonio Hurtado was shot to death Monday, April 25, while riding a bus in Ilopango, El Salvador, El Mundo reports.