Six months after Chilean community radio station Radio Tentación in November 2010 was closed and its equipment seized, the station's members find themselves on trial for broadcasting without authorization, reported the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, or AMARC.
Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, ordered the country's media to show more patriotism and support the government's strategy of bringing Chile before an international court in order to obtain access to the Pacific Ocean, according to El Deber.
The Supreme Court found six former Navy officers guilty for their involvement in the abduction and execution of journalist Jaime Aldoney on Sept. 12, 1973, the day following the Chilean coup that installed a 17-year military dictatorship, AFP reports.
On May 3, media workers all over Latin American used World Press Freedom Day to denounce violence against reporters and media outlets and to demand protection, as new reports showed that the region has become one the most dangerous in the world to practice journalism. Press Freedom Day was also marred by the news that two journalists, one in Brazil and another in Peru, were shot to death in separate incidents.
A Chilean journalist was arrested by police while covering a protest against the increase in public transportation fares in the capital city of Santiago, according to Terra.
The deaths of 81 inmates in a prison fire in Santiago this month have brought angry response by users of social networks, who criticized prison conditions in Chile and accused the media of insensitive coverage, Global Voices Online reports.
The tragedy that trapped 33 miners and their emotional rescue – followed by nearly one billion people worldwide– continues to draw coverage, even as the miners and their families stay away from the press, Reuters reports.
The event that was promised to be the media story of the week certainly lived up to its billing. The successful rescue of 33 miners trapped for 69 days 2,300 feet below ground has captured the attention of the entire world who followed the live broadcasts and constant web updates, CBS and the Association Press 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.
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.
The president of the Chilean journalists guild, Rodrigo Miranda, criticized the country's mainstream media for ignoring the hunger strike, that began July 12, by 32 indigenous Mapuches imprisoned in southern Chile, reported BBC Mundo.
Giant U.S. communications company Time Warner reached an agreement to purchase Chilevisión, the network of Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, for $140 million, reported La Tercera.