FOCUS ON THE AMERICAS - International Press Institute

Cañizares from Teleamazonas, and Ramon
Bravo of Public Radio and Ecuador TV,
whose facilities were targeted.
On September 30, as the police and a segment
of the armed forces rose up against
President Correa, the government forced
all broadcasters, from midday, to bow to an
official, indefinite cadena, which did not
permit autonomous work by journalists
and meant that the people only knew the
government’s version of what was happening.
In spite of condemnation from organizations
such as the Inter American Press
Association (IAPA), the regime justified the
measure, saying it was due to a national
state of emergency.
On the night of December 17, 2010,
more than 30 elite policemen,
stormed the head office of Vanguardia
magazine in Quito.
In July, the publisher of El Universo newspaper,
which counts the second-highest
circulation in the country, almost ended up
in prison for three years, after the president
of the state-run National Financial Corporation
accused the journalist of slander because
of an opinion article which criticized
him. Just before a sentence was to be
passed, Samán dropped the case.
Meanwhile, journalist Guido Manolo
Campaña, also of El Universo, stated that in
December 2010 strangers kidnapped and
held him for almost seven hours, after he
investigated alleged identity theft in connection
with Ecuadorian football player
Gonzalo Chila. He was intercepted as he
returned by bus from the province of
Emeralds, where he had been conducting
research. He was assaulted and warned
that the news should not be published because
the player had received an offer
from a team in Mexico.
In another incident, a program on Teleamazonas
presented by Jorge Ortiz was taken
off the air in August. Ortiz is a television interviewer
known for his criticism of the
government. He stated that he was forced to
resign because of governmental pressure
against the owner of Teleamazonas.
Another journalist, Carlos Vera, left his position
at Ecuavisa in April 2009 for the
same reason. Ortiz said that he was leaving
voluntarily because the situation with the
regime had “become untenable”. The government
claimed that it had nothing to do
with the resignations of Vera and Ortiz.
On the night of December 17, 2010, more
than 30 elite policemen, stormed the head
office of Vanguardia magazine in Quito,
and seized the journalists’ computers. The
officers said that the action was based on
an order of a state entity which administers
seized bank assets. The building in which
the magazine is located belongs to the
bank, and the officers said that Vanguardia
had not paid the rent. The magazine’s publisher,
Juan Carlos Calderón, complained
that they were victims of "political action
from the government", since the magazine
had published several investigations affecting
the regime’s image.
Calderón, who used to work for the Expreso
newspaper, uncovered major alleged corruption
scandals involving President Correa’s
brother and multi-mil-
lion-[U.S.]dollar construction
contracts with the state. He
also published a book on the
topic, prompting a strong response
from government representatives
and an unsuccessful
effort by the secretary
of state to get publishing house Paradiso to
withdraw the book.
Recommendations
• The government must understand that
the work of the mass media involves analyzing
and reporting, using a plurality of
information sources and reflecting a diversity
of points of view, some of which
may be critical of the government.
• The authorities and political figures must
cease to employ rhetoric that stigmatizes
the non-governmental press, socially legitimizes
assaults against journalists and
generates media self-censorship.
• The government must promote a plurality
of opinion within the public media.
Ecuador in Brief
Population: 14.5 million
Domestic Overview:
Ecuador is a country with four regions
and a democratic government. President
Rafael Correa has ruled since January
2007. Under a new constitution which he
promoted, he could be re-elected in 2013
and govern until 2017.
Although Quito is the capital and political
center, Guayaquil, the biggest and most
modern city of the country, is recognized
as its economic powerhouse. The two
cities host the country’s leading mass
media outlets, including the newspapers
El Comercio (Quito), El Universo
(Guayaquil) and the TV channels
Ecuavisa and Teleamazonas. Starting in
2008, the state seized several media outlets
which were formerly the property of
bankers. The Ecuadorian government
currently owns 20 mass media outlets, including
five television channels, three
newspapers, several radio stations and a
news agency.
The government enjoys support from the
majority of Ecuador’s citizens. It has made
big achievements in its social programs, especially
in education and the reduction of
poverty, according to reports from the Economic
Commission for Latin America
(ECLA). Nonetheless, levels of political confrontation
in the country have deepened.
Beyond Borders:
Ecuador’s relations with countries belonging
to the Union of South American
Nations have become closer, especially
since Correa assumed pro tempore presidency
of the organization. Ecuador supports
closer commercial, diplomatic and
political ties with Venezuela, a country
with which it has signed a dozen agricultural
and petroleum agreements. The
Venezuelan government even collaborated
in the creation of Ecuador’s first
public TV channel, EcuadorTV, and is also
investing in a multi-million-[U.S.]dollar
refinery, which is to be built in the coastal
province of Manabí.
Ecuador also enjoys strong relations with
Peru, Cuba, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Russia,
Iran and, recently, with Colombia –
with which it has resumed ties. The U.S.
has strongly criticized the close ties between
Ecuador and Iran, as bank agreements
have been signed between their
central banks.
South America
French Guiana
By Alicia Versteegh
Right: French President Nicolas Sarkozy meets
Creol people during his visit to the "Eau-Lisette" district
in Cayenne, French Guiana, February 18, 2010.
(AP)
The Caribbean territory of French
Guiana, which sits between Brazil and
Suriname, has been an overseas department
of France since 1946. Its head of state
is therefore Nicolas Sarkozy, President of
the French Republic. The French constitution
provides for a fairly free media and
cases of government censorship and interference
are rare. There are no government
restrictions placed on the Internet.
Despite the territory’s strong press freedom
record, some French laws do hinder the
practical implementation of this freedom.
France applies strict anti-defamation laws,
which carry hefty fines for those found guilty.
As French is the official language, Frenchlanguage
media platforms dominate the
industry. La Presse de Guyane and France-
Guyane are two of the daily newspapers
printed in the capital, Cayenne. There are
also a number of radio stations on the airwaves.
Tele Guyane is the public television
broadcaster and Canal+ Guyane is available
as a pay channel.
“Le Club de la Presse de Guyane” is an association
of journalists and other media
workers created as a means to facilitate
contacts and interaction between its members.
The Press Club launched an initiative
to support media and journalists crippled
by Haiti’s devastating earthquake that hit
the island in January 2010.
Recommendations
• The government must abolish criminal
defamation laws.
• The government should take more responsibility
for its own media affairs.
French Guiana in Brief
Population: 187,200
Domestic Overview:
January 2010 saw the inhabitants of
French Guiana and Martinique say ‘no’ in
France applies strict antidefamation
laws, which
carry hefty fines for those
found guilty.
a referendum on greater autonomy from
France. More than two thirds of voters in
French Guiana came out against a proposal
for the local government to have
more independence from France. French
President Nicolas Sarkozy put forward the
motion as a means to repair ties after
protests and rioting erupted at the beginning
of 2009 regarding unemployment
rates, low wages and a high cost of living.
Beyond Borders:
Sarkozy operates through a prefect appointed
by Paris as the representative in
the territory. Two elected councils exercise
power locally – the Conseil General and
the Conseil Regional. The relationship
with the mainland is central to almost
everything that happens in French
Guiana. The economy is dominated by
subsidies from Paris, as well as fishing and
forestry exports. In 1964, France established
the Kourou Space Center, which has
provided the territory with strategic worth
as well as high contributions to gross domestic
product. French Guiana shares cultural
similarities with the French-speaking
territories of the Caribbean.
64 IPI REVIEW
IPI REVIEW 65