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Cases

Ownership concentration reportedly limits criticsm in Ecuador

Posted on September 9, 2015 Leave a Comment

Ownership concentration within the private media is a problem in Ecuador, according to Freedom House. In December 2014, it was reported that Mexican media mogul Remigio Ángel González was buying El Comercio, Ecuador’s oldest and most recognized newspaper. González already owned 13 television channels and radio stations in Ecuador and was expected to change the editorial tone of El Comercio, which has been critical of the government.

Foreign ownership of communication outlets was initially illegal under the Communication Law, but Correa passed an implementing regulation in late 2013 that revised the relevant article and allowed foreigners from countries that had signed certain cooperative agreements with Ecuador to own national media. Journalists and outside watchdog groups expressed concern that the sale of El Comercio would further limit media diversity.

The government is the country’s largest advertiser and generally grants ad contracts to outlets that provide favorable coverage. In 2012, Correa directed his press secretary to withdraw public advertising from what he called “mercantilist” media outlets, including the newspapers Hoy, El Comercio, El Universo, and La Hora, and the television stations Teleamazonas and Ecuavisa. The intrusive regulations and sanctions associated with the Communication Law have made it even more difficult for independent media to achieve financial sustainability and retain advertisers. Analysts say that businesses do not want to be associated with media targeted by the authorities, as they could lose state contracts or face government audits in reprisal.

Source: Freedom of the Press Index 2015 – Ecuador
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/ecuador#.VZZLjUv_9EQ

Posted in: Advertising, Cases, Other Administrative Pressures | Tagged: Advertising, Ecuador, Other administrative pressures, The Americas

Costs of newsprint and ink remains too high for independent newspapers in Zambia

Posted on September 4, 2015 Leave a Comment

The costs of newsprint and ink (which include substantial import duties and taxes), printing, and distribution remain very high, hampering print outlets’ ability to increase their readership, Freedom House reports.

In addition, the majority of advertising comes from the government, which places its ads exclusively in the state media. There have also been reports of private companies withholding advertising from critical private outlets due to fear of government retaliation.

Source: Freedom of the Press Index 2015 – Zambia

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/zambia#.VY0d30v_9EQ

Posted in: Advertising, Africa, Cases, Imports, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, Other Administrative Pressures | Tagged: Advertising, Africa, Imports, Other administrative pressures

Turkish newspaper Sözcü publishes empty columns to protest against increasing government pressure

Posted on September 1, 2015 Leave a Comment

Sözcü, a Turkish newspaper critical of the government, has left the slots for opinion columns empty to protest the government’s “increasing pressure”, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“If Sözcü is silent, Turkey will be silent,” the newspaper’s headline said on Sept. 1, accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of “increasing pressure over the past year on opposition newspapers.”

Sözcü said it had faced 57 court cases and 67 criminal complaints over its news stories in the past year. Ten of its columnists were sued for compensation due to 60 articles, it added.

“President Erdoğan sues us for stories in which his name is not even mentioned. Stories mentioning his son’s or daughter’s name have become the subject of complaints. Their goal is to intimidate, pacify and control Sözcü and its columnists, while eliminating freedom of opinion and speech,” a front page editorial said.

The statement also referred to a well-known social media whistleblower nicknamed Fuat Avni, who recently claimed on Twitter that the government was “planning an operation to silence critical media” before the Nov. 1 election.

“No one from the government comes up and refutes this ugly claim, at which [pro-government circles] laugh up their sleeve,” Sözcü added, before vowing to “keep writing the truth despite the pressure that was not seen even during the coup eras.”

Source: Hurriyet Daily News “Turkish daily publishes empty columns on front page to protest gov’t” 1 September 2015 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=238&nID=87803&NewsCatID=339

Posted in: Cases, Europe, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, Other Administrative Pressures, Turkey | Tagged: Europe, Other administrative pressures, Turkey

Funding patterns influence media content in Albania

Posted on August 31, 2015 Leave a Comment

While the number of media outlets keeps increasing, the advertising market is hardly sufficient in Albania, according to the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS).

As a result, there is a satisfactory pluralism of information, but there are problems with economic sustainability, which often directly affect journalists, the institution reports. Funding patterns and ownership structure of the media directly influence their editorial content, leading to continuous doubts about media independence and their pursuing of public interest.

Source: Konrad Anenauer Stiftung. BalkanMedia Media Map: http://www.kas.de/wf/en/71.13558/

Posted in: Advertising, Cases, Europe, Subsidies | Tagged: Advertising, Europe, Subsidies

The transition to digital bradcasting punishes critical media in Venezuela

Posted on August 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

In February 2013, CONATEL initiated the transition to digital broadcastingIn February 2013, CONATEL initiated the transition to digital broadcasting in urban areas. Although the decree announcing the switch promoted pluralism in the diffusion of ideas and emphasized more efficient use of the broadcast spectrum, 8 of the 11 stations selected for digital transmission are state run. Only two private channels, Venevisión and Televen, were selected for digital transmission, and each focuses more on entertainment than on news programming. Globovisión, long the most vocal opposition-oriented station, was excluded from the transition.

Source: Freedom of the Press 2015 – Venezuela https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/venezuela#.VY0cvkv_9EQ 

Posted in: Cases, Licenses, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, The Americas | Tagged: Licenses, Other administrative pressures, The Americas

Changes in ownership result in a more favourable coverage to the Venezuelan government

Posted on August 20, 2015 Leave a Comment

In 2013, private business interests linked to the government purchased the Cadena Capriles newspaper conglomerate and Globovisión, two outlets that had carried criticism of the government. Within months of the ownership changes, news coverage and commentary grew more favorable to the authorities, and a number of prominent editors and reporters resigned their positions, alleging editorial pressure, according to Freedom House.

In 2014, the daily El Universal, the country’s oldest circulating newspaper, likewise underwent a notable change in its editorial line after an undisclosed buyer took control in July. In the months following the sale, more than 25 columnists were dismissed, several journalists resigned over censorship by their editors, and award-winning cartoonist Rayma Suprani claimed she was fired for an illustration that criticized the public health system.

Since 2012, currency controls have made acquiring newsprint difficult. Maduro has exacerbated the problem by centralizing distribution in the government-operated editorial complex where all newspapers, magazines, and books bearing the state’s official seal are printed. More than a dozen newspapers have been shuttered, and several others were forced to cut pages or reduce the frequency of circulation as a result of the shortage. However, in September 2014 Maduro announced the launch of two additional state newspapers, prompting journalists to accuse the government of restricting access to newsprint in order to censor critical voices.

 

Source: Freedom of the Press 2015 – Venezuela

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/venezuela#.VY0cvkv_9EQ

Posted in: Cases, Imports, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, Other Administrative Pressures, The Americas | Tagged: Other administrative pressures, The Americas

Bolivian journalist resigns to save radio station from financial suffocation

Posted on August 18, 2015 Leave a Comment

Top journalist Amalia Pando announced her resignation from the leadership of a news program on Erbol, a Catholic radio in La Paz, which for a decade imprinted a questioning journalism style, analysis and reporting of abuse of power.

The station, like other media that defend editorial independence, is prevented from receiving government advertising, and journalist Pando claims that her resignation could help this media to recover income to avoid shutdown.

The National Press Association of Bolivia (ANP) has repeatedly claimed about a tax encirclement and economic strangulation, that weaken the finances of independent media.

Read more: http://bolivianthoughts.com/2015/08/07/under-the-coca-grower-leader-bolivia-endures-lack-of-freedom-of-the-press-amalia-pando-is-the-latest-casualty/

Posted in: Advertising, Cases, Taxes, The Americas | Tagged: Advertising, Bolivia, The Americas

Pakistani authorities use advertising boycotts and bribes to manipulate the media

Posted on August 10, 2015 Leave a Comment

Provincial and national authorities have used advertising boycotts and bribes to put economic pressure on media outlets or provide incentives to keep journalists in check, Freedom House reports.

A ban on official advertisements with the Jang Group, whose Geo television station and various newspapers are known for their increasingly antigovernment editorial line, remained in effect in 2013. Both state and private interests, including the powerful intelligence agencies, reportedly pay for favorable press coverage, a practice that is exacerbated by the low salary levels of many journalists. In April 2013, the Supreme Court released a list of names of journalists, news agencies, and other entities that received payments totaling 1.7 billion rupees ($16 million) through a secret fund administered by the Pakistani government.

Source: Freedom of the Press 2014 https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/pakistan#.VUHi10v_9ER

Posted in: Advertising, Asia, Bribery | Tagged: Advertising, Asia, Bribery

Large fines imposed on media in Bulgaria can lead to self-censorship

Posted on August 3, 2015 Leave a Comment

The Bulgarian Financial Supervision Commission has imposed two fines in January 2015 against Bulgarian media under the allegation that they were committing market manipulation through stories they published, the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) reported.

The online portal zovnews.com was punished with a 50,000 EUR penalty for their reports on the banking sector; while the print media Capital and Dnevnik were punished with 80,000 EUR fines, and an additional fine of about €5,000 for refusing to reveal their sources.

SEEMO and its members condem such regulations, since they break freedom of speech and basic rights of reporting. Large fines will eventually lead media outlets directly into self-censorship. As SEEMO reminds, it is important that media can investigate free, without any pressure, important issues that are of public interest.

 

South East Europe Media Organisation: http://www.seemo.org/safty-news.html#BULGARIA20

Posted in: Cases, Europe, Other Administrative Pressures | Tagged: Europe, Other administrative pressures

A new fund for TV stations in Romania could distort the market

Posted on July 29, 2015 Leave a Comment

Through an emergency ordinance, the Romanian government has created a 15 million euro fund to help Romanian television stations, Index on Censorship reports. The ordinance, voted on 10 June 2015, has been criticized by various Romanian pressfreedom NGOs.

The NGOs say that the state subsidy will create a selective competition advantage, and distort the free market. They also point out that the second half of 2015 and 2016 is election period, and that therefore the intentions of the government are questionable. The credibility of the recipients of the funds can be also affected.

 

Source: Index on Censorship. Mapping media Freedom in Europe platform: https://mappingmediafreedom.org/reports/view/931

Posted in: Cases, Europe, Subsidies | Tagged: Europe, Subsidies
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"Official 'soft censorship' describes an array of official actions intended to influence media output, short of legal or extra-legal bans, direct censorship of specific content, or physical attacks on media outlets or media practitioners."

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