TEGUCIGALPA, Aug 4 2018 (IPS) - A series of laws that came into force in the last five years and the petition for amparo by 35 journalists and 22 social communicators against the government’s “Secrecy Law” give an idea of the atmosphere in Honduras with regard to freedom of expression.
The international organisation Reporters Without Borders (RWB) gives an account of the situation in its annual report this year pointing out that free speech in the country is at “high risk”.
Freedom of expression has suffered a “slow decline” in the last decade, says RWB, which underscores the levels of impunity, corruption and organised crime in the country, as well as the intimidation and threats suffered by journalists working for “opposition or community media outlets,” who are attacked and even forced to leave the country.
From 2001 to 2018, some 75 journalists and social communicators have been murdered in Honduras, and of those crimes only six have been prosecuted while the rest remain unpunished, according to the state Honduran National Human Rights Commission (Conadeh).
"...[T]he climate of freedom of expression is one of high risk and it should be noted that here political intolerance of criticism of the three branches of government has prompted them not to investigate threats to the press and to register the crimes without putting a face or name to the culprits. " -- Nery Velásquez
In its 2018 report, RWB says that Honduras ranked 141st out of 180 countries assessed.
Víctor Hugo Álvarez, a journalist and social analyst, said freedom of expression is jeopardised by corruption and drug trafficking.
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Showing posts with label Freedom of expression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freedom of expression. Show all posts
September 4, 2018
Political Report # 1368 Laws and Threats Undermine Freedom of Expression in Honduras
June 11, 2018
Abstract, Hall of Mirrors: Media, Democratization, and the Public Sphere in Maranhão, Brazil
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Hall of Mirrors: Media, Democratization, and the Public Sphere in Maranhão, Brazil
by Julián Durazo Herrmann
Freedom of expression and access to diverse sources of information are seen as critical elements of democracy, although their concretization on the ground is subject to strong interference. Recent regime change in Maranhão, one of Brazil’s poorest states, has led to the emergence of new media and some expansion of the public sphere. The traditional oligarchy continues to dominate the media, however, and the opposition media replicate its exclusion of nonelite actors. The Maranhão experience confirms that normative approaches to the media either as automatic contributors to democracy or as instruments of elite manipulation have little value for understanding media dynamics.
Hall of Mirrors: Media, Democratization, and the Public Sphere in Maranhão, Brazil
by Julián Durazo Herrmann
Freedom of expression and access to diverse sources of information are seen as critical elements of democracy, although their concretization on the ground is subject to strong interference. Recent regime change in Maranhão, one of Brazil’s poorest states, has led to the emergence of new media and some expansion of the public sphere. The traditional oligarchy continues to dominate the media, however, and the opposition media replicate its exclusion of nonelite actors. The Maranhão experience confirms that normative approaches to the media either as automatic contributors to democracy or as instruments of elite manipulation have little value for understanding media dynamics.
May 28, 2018
Abstract, The Press and Classical Populism in Argentina and Brazil
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The Press and Classical Populism in Argentina and Brazil
by Ariel Alejandro Goldstein
Comparison of the policies vis-à-vis the press of the classical populist governments of Argentina and Brazil reveals that the populist elites came into conflict with traditional media elites over exclusionary views that modified the contours of the public sphere. Newspapers committed to liberal principles engaged in intransigent struggle with populism, and this struggle created opportunities for new entrepreneurs to form political alliances with these governments to expand their businesses. The relationship between these “mediatized populisms” and the new media entrepreneurs contributed to the patrimonialism that came to characterize the link between the media and Latin American states in subsequent years.
The Press and Classical Populism in Argentina and Brazil
by Ariel Alejandro Goldstein
Comparison of the policies vis-à-vis the press of the classical populist governments of Argentina and Brazil reveals that the populist elites came into conflict with traditional media elites over exclusionary views that modified the contours of the public sphere. Newspapers committed to liberal principles engaged in intransigent struggle with populism, and this struggle created opportunities for new entrepreneurs to form political alliances with these governments to expand their businesses. The relationship between these “mediatized populisms” and the new media entrepreneurs contributed to the patrimonialism that came to characterize the link between the media and Latin American states in subsequent years.
March 1, 2017
Abstract, The Media and Power in Postliberal Venezuela The Legacy of Chávez for the Debate on Freedom of Expression
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The Media and Power in Postliberal Venezuela
The Legacy of Chávez for the Debate on Freedom of Expression
by Ewa Sapiezynska
Two narratives dominate the literature about the state of freedom of expression in postliberal Venezuela, and they have few points in common, since they depend on different conceptualizations of the notion of freedom of expression. While the traditional liberal narrative focuses on the negative freedom that prohibits state interference, the postliberal narrative is based on positive freedom that encompasses the collective right of self-realization, particularly for the previously marginalized. During the government of Hugo Chávez, the discourse of freedom of expression was renewed, placing it in the context of power relations, accentuating positive freedom, and emphasizing the role of the public and community media. The establishment of the international public channel TeleSUR has revived the 1970s debate about the right to communication and contributed to the creation of a new Latin American-ness.
The Media and Power in Postliberal Venezuela
The Legacy of Chávez for the Debate on Freedom of Expression
by Ewa Sapiezynska
Two narratives dominate the literature about the state of freedom of expression in postliberal Venezuela, and they have few points in common, since they depend on different conceptualizations of the notion of freedom of expression. While the traditional liberal narrative focuses on the negative freedom that prohibits state interference, the postliberal narrative is based on positive freedom that encompasses the collective right of self-realization, particularly for the previously marginalized. During the government of Hugo Chávez, the discourse of freedom of expression was renewed, placing it in the context of power relations, accentuating positive freedom, and emphasizing the role of the public and community media. The establishment of the international public channel TeleSUR has revived the 1970s debate about the right to communication and contributed to the creation of a new Latin American-ness.
February 24, 2017
Abstract, The Media and Power in Postliberal Venezuela The Legacy of Chávez for the Debate on Freedom of Expression
:::::: Abstract ::::::
The Media and Power in Postliberal Venezuela
The Legacy of Chávez for the Debate on Freedom of Expression
by Ewa Sapiezynska
Two narratives dominate the literature about the state of freedom of expression in postliberal Venezuela, and they have few points in common, since they depend on different conceptualizations of the notion of freedom of expression. While the traditional liberal narrative focuses on the negative freedom that prohibits state interference, the postliberal narrative is based on positive freedom that encompasses the collective right of self-realization, particularly for the previously marginalized. During the government of Hugo Chávez, the discourse of freedom of expression was renewed, placing it in the context of power relations, accentuating positive freedom, and emphasizing the role of the public and community media. The establishment of the international public channel TeleSUR has revived the 1970s debate about the right to communication and contributed to the creation of a new Latin American-ness.
The Media and Power in Postliberal Venezuela
The Legacy of Chávez for the Debate on Freedom of Expression
by Ewa Sapiezynska
Two narratives dominate the literature about the state of freedom of expression in postliberal Venezuela, and they have few points in common, since they depend on different conceptualizations of the notion of freedom of expression. While the traditional liberal narrative focuses on the negative freedom that prohibits state interference, the postliberal narrative is based on positive freedom that encompasses the collective right of self-realization, particularly for the previously marginalized. During the government of Hugo Chávez, the discourse of freedom of expression was renewed, placing it in the context of power relations, accentuating positive freedom, and emphasizing the role of the public and community media. The establishment of the international public channel TeleSUR has revived the 1970s debate about the right to communication and contributed to the creation of a new Latin American-ness.
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