After a heated debate during the 69th General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) over Peruvian media conglomerate Grupo El Comercio's recent purchase of more than half of the shares of publishing group Epensa, media firm La República announced it will file a lawsuit against its competitor for monopolistic practices.
The concentration of the media by “autocratic” governments is one of the “the greatest obstacles for the freedom of the press in the western hemisphere during the last six months of the year” and the killing of 14 journalists represents one of the highest numbers in the last 20 years, the Inter American Press Association noted during the conclusion of its 69th General Assembly in Denver last weekend.
A total of 55 radio and television frequencies will be appropriated by the Ecuadorian government for failing to comply with the country's new communications law, said telecommunications minister Jaime Guerrero during a Sep. 20 press conference, news portal Infobae reported.
Following the purchase of 54% of the shares of the printing and marketing branch of Empresa Periodística Nacional S.A. ( Epensa in Spanish), publishing company El Comercio has become the largest media owner in the country. Will the move have an impact on journalism and freedom of expression in Peru?
Two daily newspapers in Mexico have created their own cable television news channels to compete against the limited coverage that Mexico's network duopoly provide the country on broadcast television. Starting on Sept. 2, Excélsior, the oldest paper in Mexico, will begin broadcasting a 24 hour news channel under its brand using its own reporters.
The director of Globovisón, one of the most critical private television networks of the Venezuelan government, announced that it will be sold after the April 14 presidential election, reported the newspaper El Universal.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto presented on Monday, March 11 a proposal to reform the telecommunications law with the intention of putting an end to the open television duopoly and putting and broaden competition in the sector, according to the Associated Press.
Venezuela's Information Minister Ernesto Villegas announced on Wednesday, Feb. 20, the establishment of the new Bolivarian Communication and Information System, reported teleSUR. According to the minister, the new apparatus should generate content different from that found in a capitalist culture and strive for "true independence."
Argentina’s government said it would strip most of Grupo Clarín’s television licenses, a fact that citizens discovered through advertisements broadcasted during soccer games on Sept. 22, Bloomberg reported.
Chile's student protests could help break up the country's concentrated media empires, suggested a new report from Reporters without Borders.
The controversial decision to sack an award-winning Mexican radio host for commenting on allegations that President Felipe Calderón is an alcoholic has prompted protests and opened a debate on the relationship between concentrated media ownership and politically-motivated censorship.
The Venezuelan government said the private sector continues to control media in the country, El Universal reports, in spite of its efforts to restrict print, broadcast, and digital content.