QUITO, (Reuters) – An Ecuadorean congressional committee approved a bill yesterday that would set up a media watchdog group to ensure print and broadcast journalists produce “truthful, reasonable” stories.
The proposal is backed by lawmakers aligned with President Rafael Correa, who regularly criticizes local newspapers and TV stations that question his leftist policies. The bill now goes to Ecuador’s full 124-member Congress for debate.
According to the bill, the panel will aim to ensure that mass communication is “truthful, reasonable, in proper context and based on multiple sources.”
But the seven-member watchdog panel would not have the power to punish journalists who fall short of those standards. The president would appoint two committee members.
Backers of the proposal say it would help raise media standards. Others say it could pressure journalists to censor themselves before publishing.
Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said some of the provisions of the bill “undermine its own stated purpose of guaranteeing freedom of expression.”
