Ecuador's Communications Law: Democratizing the Airwaves
25 June 2015 - 11:13 AM
Analysis
Ecuador's Communications Law: Democratizing the Airwaves
Ecuador's communications law, which is aimed at democratizing the airwaves in the South American country, is commemorating its two year anniversary Thursday.
Sandy Chavez of Corape says the support of the government is helping strengthen communication between indigenous peoples in Ecuador.
Before the implementation of the law, Ecuador's media landscape was considered a free-for-all, with corporate media outlets operating as the virtual propaganda arms of their wealthy owners.
“When we came into government in 2007, there were five TV channels in Ecuador, four of them owned by the four biggest banks in the country,” Ecuadorean Culture Minister Guillaume Long told teleSUR in an exclusive interview.
“We've had a series of referendums to separate capital invested in media from capital invested in financial institutions. The Ecuadorean people have supported a democratization of the media,” said Long. Now there is a clear separation between bankers and media outlets, which goes a long way in preventing a conflict of interest.
The law also created two important regulatory bodies, the Supercom and the Cordicom, which work to ensure that media outlets are operating in a responsible way, including assuring viewers that sensitive material, such as programming that contains violence and sexual imagery, are broadcast at the appropriate times.
More:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/Ecuadors-Communications-Law-Democratizing-the-Airwaves-20150625-0015.html