Live
Audio Only
Launching its international standards on media concentration and freedom of speech in Paraguay’s capital of Asuncion Wednesday, UNESCO urged governments on World Press Freedom Day to better support media standards that aim to improve rights of freedom of expression, an issue that remains as important as ever, particularly across Latin America.
The 32-page UNESCO report researched and written by experts Toby Mendel, Angel Garcia Castillejo and Gustavo Gomez, pointed out that across Latin America, when attempts have been made to address the undue concentration of media ownership, it has been "driven as much by political as by public interests goals.”
Amid an ever-changing media landscape, the authors noted that in many countries there is still a heavy reliance on traditional sources of media, but the number of independent and original news sources was at an all-time low, as was the case for investigative journalism.
Citing previous UNESCO research from 2014, the report noted that across much of Latin America and the Caribbean, “on average, almost half of the products and services of the information and communications markets of each country were controlled by one provider.”
Increased media concentration not only shrank the number of available sources and local news stories but “undermines the quality of public debate by reducing the number of perspectives and the ideas that fuel it.”
The authors pointed out that because the media play a crucial role in the political debate, media owners can have an undemocratic effect, which can “skew political power. The report pointed to the example of how the Clarin Media Group in Argentina, which with significant control of the country’s media, was pitted against former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s government.
The report said that excessive concentration of media ownership can lead to a lack of transparency and potential conflicts of interest because of media being closely tied to business interests.
RELATED:
3 Reasons Why Trump Heralds a New Era of Attacks on the Press
States were seen to have an obligation not to interfere or restrict people’s freedom of expression, but to also “take measure to promote and environment which supports the free flow of information and ideas in society,” not just for “speakers” but for “listeners.”
The report noted that a number of countries are taking steps to control the over-concentration of media including Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and Peru.
A number of recommendations were set out in the report, including the need for media outlets to improve transparency by regularly reporting, such as information about media owners and beneficiaries and revenues.
Other recommendations included states placing limits on media concentration and cross-ownership of different outlets based across a number of measures including geographical area, audience share and revenue. Effective monitoring and application of rules and regulations were also stressed by the report.
Newsletter
