The government announced it revoked the license of Fibertel, an internet service provider owned by Grupo Clarín, the parent company of Clarín newspaper, Bloomberg reports. “Fibertel doesn’t exist anymore,” said Planning Minister Julio De Vido.
The Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression at the Organization of American States (OAS), Carolina Botero, outlined 13 aspects of the proposed Communication Law that need to be changed or clarified, Hoy reports. Last week, Human Rights Watch also said the bill was in need of several changes.
The dispute between the Clarín Group, Argentina's largest media conglomerate, and the federal government over Papel Prensa, the largest newsprint factory in the country, has intensified in recent days, with complaints, death threats, and accusations of human rights violations during the dictatorship (1976-1983).
Despite the global economic crisis and the migration of readers to the Internet, the circulation of printed newspapers in Latin America is projected to grow during the next five years, particularly in Brazil, Chile and Argentina, according to a Pricewaterhouse Coopers study, reported the newspaper La Nación.
This election year, the federal government in Brazil has nearly tripled the number of renewals or new permits for the operation of radio stations across the country, reported Folha de S. Paulo.
The Venezuelan vice president, Elías Jaua, asked the National Assembly to include in the reform of the General Bank Law a provision prohibiting shareholders of financial institutions from participating in communications enterprises, reported El Nacional.
The Chamber of Deputies is considering a bill to regulate the distribution of official advertising to media outlets, Clarín reports. In June, Clarín accused the executive of using ad spending to manipulate coverage.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a decree that created an intergovernmental commission to propose changes to the regulatory system that governs broadcast media, O Estado de S. Paulo reports.
When politicians chose the internet as the main place to talk about their activities and opinions, what happens to journalists? This line of questioning is coming up in Argentina, where several politicians have shown an adoration for social media coupled with a disdain for the traditional press.
A proposal sent to Chile's Congress would amend the media finance law in order to give public funds to radio stations, newspapers, magazines and other media whose facilities or equipment was damaged during the Feb. 27 earthquake, reported UPI.
The Rio de Janeiro-based Jornal do Brasil will stop circulating its 119-year-old print edition and appear only online, O Globo reports. The paper’s owner, Nelson Tanure, says he will set the date for the changeover this week.
Ecuador's communication bill has entered, in theory, the final stretch, but ruling and opposition forces remain at odds, divided over the proposal's future, reported El Comercio.