Ecuador: journalists say Correa government’s move to define communications as a public service is ploy to muzzle criticism

mwcnews.net reported journalists say Correa government’s move to define communications as a public service is a ploy to muzzle criticism.

Ecuador’s government must not start regulating private media and social networks, journalists and press watchdogs warned, after its National Assembly voted to constitutionally define communications as a public service.

President Rafael Correa’s party, Alianza Pais, enjoys a two-thirds majority in the assembly. It voted on Thursday to lift presidential term limits, prompting violent street protests and a boycott by some members of the opposition.

Correa is seen by critics as being increasingly adversarial against some of Ecuador’s journalists who allege harassment through defamation lawsuits and frequent verbal attacks thick with rhetoric.

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Reporters are caught in a polarised media landscape between the opposition and the government, where some say they are forced to pick sides.

“The problem is that freedom of expression is more than just a public service, it is a human right, it is a duty that needs to be protected and not regulated,” Eric Samson, head of the journalism department at Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, said.

“Right now there is a fight between the private media and the government, which treats it like they are working for the opposition, so there is no dialogue,” Samson said. Read Article