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Salvadoran Congress approves public information access law

After 17 months of debate, the Legislative Assembly in El Salvador approved a law requiring state institutions to make information available to the public, reported El Faro. The law still must be signed by President Mauricio Funes.

Colombia's spying against journalists is detailed in new report

Colombia's Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) has released its report “Espionage against journalists" about the campaign by Colombia's intelligence service to smear and spy on several reporters. The report compiles the major breakthroughs on investigations about the case.

Ex-cop and suspected drug trafficker accuses Mexican journalist of asking for money from organized crime

Alleged statements by a drug trafficking suspect who was captured in September and is now under witness protection in Mexico has led to a heated back and forth between Proceso magazine and Televisa.

IAPA criticizes asylum offer for ex head of Colombian agency that spied on journalists

Panama’s decision to grant asylum to the former director of Colombian intelligence (DAS), María de Pilar Hurtado, could lead to impunity for illegal espionage against media outlets and journalists during the government of Álvaro Uribe, warned the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Mall security attacks photographer covering animal rights protest in Mexico

AP photojournalist Marco Ugarte was attacked by private security at an outdoor mall in Mexico City while covering an anti-fur protest, Milenio reports.

Venezuelan court overturns journalist’s defamation conviction

The Appellate Court of Carabobo state annulled journalist Francisco “Pancho” Pérez's conviction that had sentenced him to three years and nine months of house arrest and a ban on practicing journalism during his sentence, El Carabobeño reports.

Guatemalan journalist threatened after reporting on military arms theft

Luis Ángel Sas, an investigative journalist for elPeriódico, reported receiving death threats that made reference to his recent reports on Guatemalan military weapons that ended up in the hands of the Mexico-based criminal group Los Zetas, Cerigua reports. Sas – whose beat is drug trafficking, corruption, and crime – told Noticieros Televisa that he first received threats at the offices of elPeriódico while he was at an investigating organized crime conference in Panama. A recent report by a Guatemalan freedom of expr

WikiLeaks release causes problems for Canada; Caribbean spared for now

Just as the newest WikiLeaks release has strained Washington’s relations with much of the world, including Latin America, its revelations have also shaken Canada, threatening its ties to Afghanistan. Ottawa’s ambassador to Kabul has offered to resign over his criticism of the Afghan president.

Brazilian prosecutors investigate holdings of Portuguese media group

Federal prosecutors in São Paulo have begun to investigate whether the Portuguese media group Ongoing has violated a constitutional provision that bans foreigners from owning more than 30 percent of a media outlet, Folha de S. Paulo reports. The investigation was motivated by a complaint from the National Newspaper Association (ANJ) and the Brazilian Association of Radio and TV Broadcasters (Abert).

WikiLeaks cables rattle Latin America, creating potential tensions with USA

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's probing questions into the state of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez's mental health, reports of Cuban spies and Colombian FARC guerrillas in Venezuela, and statements that Bolivian President Evo Morales had been invited to Brazil to have a sinus tumor removed are just some of the disclosures made in the leaked diplomatic cables whistle-blower site WikiLeaks released in what has become known as "cablegate."

The Police Twitterverse and public security coverage in Brazil

Coverage of violence and crime by the Brazilian media is being enriched by the so-called “Police Twitterverse.” Going around department hierarchies, officers are using Twitter to narrate their day-to-day work, denounce corruption and abuse, and share their thoughts on issues ranging from police institutions to media coverage. Their posts are closely followed by reporters and academics, creating an active, critical space on social networks for discussing public security that is spilling over into how police issues are cov

Guatemalan journalism increasingly threatened by organized crime

Drug trafficking and transnational organized crime are the among the new threats that Guatemalan journalists are facing, according to study on freedom of expression in the country, EFE reports.