The Constitution and Justice Committee of the Brazilian Senate on Wednesday, March 14, approved a bill that would regulate the right of reply in the news media, reported the newspaper O Globo.
With slightly more than a week under its belt, the new Reporters' Lab website is aiming to arm reporters with the tools, techniques, and research to better cover stories of public interest, hold the government accountable, and preserve investigative reporting.
In an effort to "find the right people to offer insight, perspectives and ideas on the issues of the day," Canada's Calgary Herald has introduced a new initiative allowing potential sources to register with the newspaper, the Herald reported. Known as "Be a Source," the system encourages anyone with "an area of expertise," whether "politics, health care or playing the kazoo," to sign up as a source to be contacted by journalists.
Charges were filed against a journalist in Chile for covering up human rights abuses in 1975, reported Emol. The journalist and ex-editor in chief for National Television of Chile, Carlos Araya Silva, was freed on bail after paying approximately $400, reported the radio station Cooperativa.
The budget for the city of Januária, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, will soon have a new watchdog: the citizens themselves.
The Commission on Planning, Economic Policy and Finance of the House of Deputies in Bolivia announced that it would include the public's recommendations in a proposed telecommunications that has been criticized by press freedom organizations for certain aspects that limit freedom of information, reported Los Tiempos.
WikiLeaks cofounder and editor Julian Assange recently signed an agreement with Pública, a non-profit investigative journalism center that was launched in March by three Brazilian journalists, Terra Magazine reports.
Internet users and media rights activists in Brazil organized a June 21 marathon of Twitter posts to call for improved infrastructure and expanded access to broadband Internet, Rede Brasil Atual reports. The hashtag #minhainternetcaiu (myinterenetisdown) and the phrase “Broadband is your right!” were both among the most posted topics in Brazil that day, Link do Estadão explains.
Last year, ABC Digital - the online edition of ABC Color newspaper – developed a space for users to send their stories and photos, with allegations, announcements, claims, and complaints. Today, more than 25 stories are submitted by citizens daily. We have enough content to publish one an hour, and we have designed a “Positive Stories” section for readers to submit untold stories of courage, good deeds by the authorities, and acts of good citizenship.
Panamanian journalists are developing the “My Transparent Panama” platform as a model digital tool that can be used to cover crime and corruption in Latin America. The project is an online digital map that plots citizen-provided information about incidents ranging from fraud and theft to murder and rape.