Colombia’s Minster of Interior and Justice, Germán Vargas Lleras, has proposed declasifying secret intelligence agency reports on illegal espionage against politicians, judges, journalists, and human rights activists, EFE reports.
Journalist Marcelo Garay Vergara could be sentenced to up to 200 days in prison for taking unauthorized photos of the Mapuche conflict from inside a farm in Padre Las Casas, in the south of Chile, reported La Nación. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 21.
Seven legislators flew to D.C. to criticize Ecuador’s controversial draft media law in front of several international groups, including the Organization of American States and Freedom House, El Universo and EFE report.
Argentina's president, Cristina Fernández, signed the regulations for a decree that returns exclusivity of newspaper and magazine sales to vendors, known as “canillitas”, selling publications in kiosks or on the street, reported the local press.
The Bolivian Chamber of Deputies recently passed a controversial law that would criminalize racist or discriminatory acts, BBC Mundo reports. Journalism and media groups have said that the law, which is still waiting Senate approval, “violates freedom of expression,” because it could punish third parties for covering controversial issues.
Brazil’s 2010 elections has been marked by the use of the internet as a means of broadening information access and bringing citizens into the electoral process, Global Voices’ Manuella Ribeiro writes. In this world of “Politics 2.0,” the candidates are using social media to campaign and participate in debates, while transparency and citizen participation projects are proliferating on the internet.
A female reporter for Mexico's TV Azteca was harassed by football players and a coach during the New York Jets' practice on Saturday, Sept. 11, reported the Associated Press (AP).
Former Cuban president Fidel Castro is claiming U.S. journalist Jeffrey Goldberg misinterpreted his words, according to Xinhua, the official state Chinese English-language news agency.
Argentine senators unanimously approved a bill guaranteeing free public information access in the country, reported La Nación. The measure will go to the House for debate at the end of the month, and is expected to be approved, added the state agency Télam and the publication Perfil.
Prosecutor Ricardo Bejarano was taken off the investigation of TV journalist William Parra, just days after Bejarano had sought an arrest warrant for the Colombian reporter, accusing him of links to guerrillas, reported the Associated Press (AP).
Similar to the United States' recent denial of a visa for television journalist Hollman Morris to come to Harvard University as a Nieman Fellow, now a second Colombian journalist, Claudia Duque, has had her visa request rejected, according to journalism.co.uk.
The Ibero-American New Journalism Foundation (FNPI) will give the Cemex+FNPI New Journalism Prize to Peruvian journalist Gustavo Gorriti in recognition of his outstanding track record of investigative journalism.