FOCUS ON THE AMERICAS - International Press Institute

Government administration and police
have been accused of corruption in several
nations, preventing investigative journalism
through threats, outdated laws and intimidation
through verbal and physical harassment.
Political and judicial harassment,
as well as neglect regarding Laws on
Access to Public Information have continued
to be the greatest obstructions to press
freedom in the Americas.
In particular, the inability to access files of
hundreds of disappearances in various
military regimes continues to be an issue
in several countries in the Americas. In
May, the Bolivian army finally decided to
declassify the files of the dictatorship
(1980-1981) thereby allowing for the
identification of those involved in human
rights violations. In Uruguay, the press
continues to battle against obstructions
with refusals from soldiers to open up past
crimes committed during the military
regime, despite laws passed requiring the
Judiciary to report on shelved cases.
While no journalists were attacked or
jailed in the Caribbean in 2010, the region
still experienced setbacks in press freedom.
Although Jamaica continued to be a shining
beacon for free expression, radically
outdated criminal defamation laws, and an
Official Secrets Act exist as a means of crippling
media organizations. The high levels
of crime and violence conspire to make living
difficult for all citizens, including journalists
who are victim to police brutality
and abuse of power.
The January 12 Haiti earthquake destroyed
the country’s capital Port-au-Prince, and
took the lives of over 300,000 people. The
national catastrophe devastated the media
and no less than 26 journalists were killed.
Dozens more lost their homes or jobs.
Journalists in Haiti face threats, widespread
corruption, desperate poverty and exile.
Under these conditions, journalists have
struggled to practice their profession to its full
potential. IPI has contributed to the Haiti
News Project, in an effort to promote and rebuild
the shattered
media institutions.
Cuba has the most
restrictive press freedom
laws in the
Americas. The government
vigorously
prohibits free journalism or speech under
the pretext of protecting state security. The
constitution forbids private media and incorporates
laws for those who speak
against the socialist government. Those accused
of “collaborating with the enemy’s
media” are subject to the 1997 Law of National
Dignity, which provides for up to ten
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IPI REVIEW
Journalists in Haiti face
threats, widespread corruption,
desperate poverty
and exile.
Above: Hernando Lopez, who says he has been displaced due to violence caused by Colombia's ongoing battle
with rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), has his mouth sewn as he is nailed to a
makeshift cross during a protest in Bogota, August 19, 2010. (REUTERS)
years in prison. It is virtually impossible to
work independently from state-owned media
without being detained and intimidated by
state officials, often being charged with disrespect
or distributing enemy propaganda.
There are currently
55 prisoners of conscience
detained in
Cuba, most serving
for criticizing the
Cuban government
and campaigning for
human rights. Among these detainees
there are several independent journalists.
Although the Internet is completely controlled
by the government, some bloggers
have managed to access the Internet illegally
in order to post independent ideas. This is a
small victory for those who have braved
the laws and put themselves in danger to
fight for their right to a free flow of information.
Blogger Yoani María Sánchez
Cordero was named one of 60 IPI World
Press Freedom Heroes in 2010 for her blog
Generation Y – which stirs powerful debate
over the repressive climate in Cuba.
Although the world commended the release
of more than 50 jailed dissidents, including
29 journalists, IPI called on President
Rául Castro to release the remainder
of those detained in 2003 and sentenced to
terms between six and 28 years. Among
those journalists released was Omar Rodríguez
Saludes for whom IPI ran a ‘Justice
Denied’ movement over the past several
years. Saludes, along with the others released,
now lives in Spain.
North America
Canada
By Sophie Nicholls
The year marked a significant development
for free expression in Canada.
On May 3 – World Press Freedom Day – the
first “Canadian Free Expression Review,” an
annual report on the health of free expression
in Canada was launched by Canadian
Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE).
The organization, which raises awareness
and understanding about free expression
issues, decided to publish the review after
noticing that Canadian free speech issues
and cases were on the rise.
A restrictive Access to Information process,
violent attacks on representatives of the
ethnic press and the rights of citizens and
media compromised at major international
events are but a few examples of what CJFE
describes as a “disturbing trend” for free expression
in Canada. Furthermore, in 2009,
Canada slipped six spots, from 19th to 13th
place, in the global press freedom rankings.
Canada is no longer the ‘go-to’ country
when it comes to delivering advice on
how to implement and run Freedom of Information
systems. In fact, its Access to Information
process has come up against severe
criticism, both nationally and globally,
in recent years.
A new Freedom of Information study, conducted
by two British academics from University
College London, ranked Canada last
for international freedom of information
laws in comparison to that of four other
parliamentary democracies.
The study, which compared Australia, New
Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and
Canada, considered a number of factors including
statistics on appeals, court decisions
and delays, which affect the processing
of information requests and the release
of government information.
But this is not new news. In 2008, the Canadian
Newspaper Association determined
that Canada’s Access to Information Act
performed below status quo in comparison
to other countries, including its neighbor to
the south, the United States.
Canada is criticized for having an out-ofdate
model that prevents users from submitting
requests and payments electronically,
which deters people from using the
system. Some critics say there are too few
requests and too few lobby groups fighting
to change this archaic system. Chronic processing
delays and a censoring of government
material are also sources of scrutiny.
For example, in 2010, 56 per cent of requests
were responded to within the
30-day statutory limit outlined in the Access
to Information Act, compared to 70 per
cent a decade ago; while of the 35,000 requests
filed in 2010 only 16 per cent fully
disclosed the information requested, compared
to 40 per cent a decade ago.
Currently, under the Access to Information
Act, which came into effect in 1983, citizens
can request government information for a
$5 fee, but the application includes a number
of exemptions, leaving a loophole for
censoring material. For example, in 2010,
the Canadian Press submitted a complaint to
the Information Commissioner of Canada
after the Public Works Department delivered
a censored version of a real-estate portfolio
more than two months late. Currently, there
are at least three government departments
under investigation for allegedly interfering
with the information release process, and a
2007-2008 Report Card from Canada’s information
commissioner gave several government
departments just two out of five stars
for their incompetent adherence to the Access
to Information Act.
Several of Canada’s information commissioners
have criticized the system, attributing
its decline to a lack of resources, backlog
of requests and the commissioner’s lack
of authority to order the release of documents.
Despite political pressure, the conservative
Government of Canada has failed
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