Soldiers in Argentina’s Gendarmerie police force raided the offices of Papel Prensa, the country’s top newsprint producer and the focal point of an ongoing conflict between the government and Clarín and La Nación, the two largest domestic dailies, EFE and DiarioJornada report.
The Argentine government has initiated new legal action against the newspapers Clarín and La Nación in order to remove the two companies' eight representatives from the board of Papel Prensa, the largest producer of newsprint in the country, Perfil.com reports. The government also wants “judicial intervention” against the papers in response to “numerous and serious irregularities” at the company.
In his first news conference held exclusively for bloggers, outgoing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva strongly criticized traditional media, saying he had quit reading the opposition press, O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper reports. Among his plans after leaving office Jan. 1, Lula says he’ll blog and tweet, Spain’s El País says.
Journalists in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte earn a base salary of $525 a month, the lowest in Brazil. They have launched a strong Internet campaign to criticize the decline of the profession in their state, and to demand a salary increase and respect for their human rights, the Portal Imprensa media news site reports.
During its 66th general assembly meeting Nov. 5-9, 2010, in Merida, Mexico, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) voted in its new board of directors for 2010-2013.
Héctor Camero, a member of the Tierra y Libertad (Land and Liberty) community radio station, was notified last week of his two-year prison sentence and fine of US$1,200 for the crime of developing and using a radio frequency without authorization, the World Association of Community Broadcasters (AMARC) reports via IFEX. The sentence also suspends his civil and political rights.
Congress is considering reactivating the “Communication Council” to assist and advise lawmakers on matters related to communication, Folha de Sao Paulo reports. It would not serve as an official monitor but would hold a consultative role.
Brazil's National Federation of Journalists (Fenaj) and the Federation of Radio Broadcasters (Fitert) have petitioned the Supreme Court to rule that Congress must regulate articles of the Constitution dealing with communication. The articles specifically deal with the right of reply, the prohibition of media monopolies, and the creation of quotas for regional content on radio and TV broadcasts.
In order to comply with the constitution, banks had until this week to divest their stakes in the country’s media outlets leading to ownership changes for at least two TV stations, BBC Mundo and El Comercio report.
“It is important to nationalize the media,” President Cristina Fernández said, highlighting the media's importance in “defending the interests of the country,” Télam and Página 12 report.
Presidential candidate José Serra (PSDB) became upset with the press during an interview session and accused the paper Valor Econômico of favoring his opponent, the governing party candidate Dilma Rousseff (PT), iG and Folha de S. Paulo report.
The ordeal in northern Chile of 33 miners trapped for two months 2,300 feet below ground “has converted into a big reality show,” explained La Nación. The rescue expected for this Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010, promises to be the “media event” of the week.