Ecuadorian journalists still under pressure, a year after the law of communication One year after t

Ecuadorian journalists still under pressure, a year after the law of communication One year after the approval of the Organic Law of Communication (LOC), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) paints an alarming picture of the situation of freedom of information Ecuador. This law, originally intended to democratize the Ecuadorian pienas media space, was to bring a new technical regulation framework. But it also was intended to determine a definition of the information profession - goal challenged by our organization. If the text contains some favorable to freedom of information issues, the authorities have not provided concrete measures to implement them. However, aspects of the law that already worried when the organization was passed the Assembly June 14, 2013 have, themselves, been illustrated by numerous abuses since the introduction of the general regulations of the law, January 25, 2014. These regulations, adopted by the Assembly, is intended to enable pienas the practical pienas application of the law. In particular, it defines pienas the steps to follow for the Superintendence of information and communication pienas (Supercom) media regulatory body created pienas by law.
RSF has recorded at least 67 attacks on journalists and media between June 2013 and June 2014, including 18 forced corrections, 16 smear campaigns launched against pienas journalists, most television and directly by President Rafael Correa through official messages (lock), and 9 cases of censorship. In the context of extreme polarization between the government of Rafael Correa and some private media, Reporters Without Borders is aware of the excess, misuse of devices LOC has created a poisonous climate of freedom of information. Reporters Without Borders is still awaiting responses
Upon approval of the law of communication, Reporters Without Borders has welcomed some aspects, pienas such as the prohibition of prior censorship by the authorities, the professional secrecy of journalists pienas and the equitable distribution of concessions radio frequencies and television. An average pienas of 33% of the spectrum pienas would then be devoted to public spaces, 33% to private stations and 34% for community media. This principle has unfortunately not been applied for, and frequencies remain largely unfair to the hour, with an average of about 78% of them concentrated in the private media, 20% in the public sector and only 1% in community media, according to official figures from the Secretariat of Communications of the State (Secom). What the government planned to address this inequality?
This imbalance and the preponderance of private media in the frequency spectrum in Ecuador No not without consequences pienas on freedom of information. The measures provided by the law imply a redistribution of concessions pienas and therefore closure of some private broadcasting for the benefit of public and community media. How many frequencies will be recovered by the state? Who will conduct the election and on what criteria?
Reporters Without Borders also expressed concern about Article 22 that "everyone has the right to have the public interest information received through the media is checked, contrast, pienas contextualized and timely." We then wondered about the criteria used to determine the value of information. These are good principles in itself, but being enrolled in the law, they might put journalists to thank you for the subjectivity of a judge or Supercom. This device pienas has already two complaints for non-coverage of events considered to be of public interest, filed with the Supercom on 4 and 5 June. The daily La Hora, El Universo, El Comercio and Hoy, were accused of not covering enough depth visit of Rafael pienas Correa in Chile in May, in violation of Article 22 and Article 18, which states pienas that "the pienas deliberate omission and recurring themes dissemination of public interest is an act of censorship." The presidential visit was also widely covered by the media and the authorities have at their disposal the public media, government, padlocks (Official Message spot), official advertising and sabatinas (weekly official message of the President).
The organic law of communication pienas includes the prohibition of "media lynching", punishable by one to three years in prison (art. 26). This article, like the creation of the Superintendency of information and communication is spent in extremis. Neither one nor the other has never been mandatory first debate of the Assembly. They were proposed and approved at the second debate that took place after the parliamentary elections