Argentine senators unanimously approved a bill guaranteeing free public information access in the country, reported La Nación. The measure will go to the House for debate at the end of the month, and is expected to be approved, added the state agency Télam and the publication Perfil.
A government resolution gives large media companies in Argentina one year, as of Thursday, Sept. 9, to get rid of any broadcast licenses that exceed the maximum number permitted under the new audiovisual communication law, reported Página 12.
The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court ruled that radio and television stations now are free to broadcast political satire and jokes about election candidates. They also can issue opinions for or against candidates in news and editorial programs, as long as they don't serve as propaganda, reported O Estado de S. Paulo.
Argentina's President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner published on Wednesday, Sept. 1, a decree (PDF file) that outlines regulations implementing the Audiovisual Media law. The law limits the number of radio and television licenses that can be granted to the same company, and will be enforced immediately, said Gabriel Mariotto, the director of the Federal Authority of Audiovisual Communication Services, in an interview with the official news agency Télam.
In light of the on-going attempts at government regulation throughout Latin America, according to the National Press Association (ANP) of Bolivia, 13 of its affiliated newspapers have come out in favor of self-regulation and ratified their support for Article 107 of the Constitution: “Information and opinions transmitted via the media should respect the principles of honesty and accountability. These principles shall be exercised by the rules of ethics and self-regulation of journalist and media organizations and their norms."
In another chapter of the ongoing disputes between the Argentine government and the country's two main newspapers, Clarín e La Nación, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner presented on Friday, Aug. 27, a bill that would make the production, distribution and commercialization of newsprint a "public good," reported the official news agency Télam.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez announced Tuesday, Aug. 24, that the country's lawyers will bring a lawsuit accusing Argentina's two largest newspapers, Clarín and La Nación, of illegally appropriating newsprint company Papel Prensa during the military dictatorship (1976-1983), reported the official news agency Télam, the Associated Press, and Agência Estado.
A group of comedians gathered Sunday, Aug. 22, on the beach of Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro, to demonstrate against a law that bans parodies and jokes about candidates during election campaigns in Brazil, reported O Globo.
Even as controversy erupted in Venezuela over a ban on the publication of violent photos, in Colombia a senator from the ruling coalition has offered up a bill that would prohibit the publication of "mildly pornographic" or sensational images in print media and websites, reported El Espectador and the news agency Europa Press.
The president of Brazil's National Association of Newspapers (ANJ), Judith Brito, announced that the organization is creating a board for self-regulation, reported iG. The board could begin to function as soon as the end of this year. The announcement was made during the opening of the 8th Brazilian Congress of Newspapers, in Rio de Janeiro.
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.
Almost two years after the enactment of the Law on Access to Public Information (Law 18.381) in Uruguay, the administration has published a decree regulating its use. To incite journalists from throughout the country to take advantage of the law, the Archives and Access to Public Information Center launched this week a campaign, “Make Your Own Request.”