From Free Peru They try to censor the press. The congresswoman María Agüeromember of the party founded by the fugitive Vladimir Cerrónpresented a bill that requires the media annually informing the Government about their sources of financing, activities carried out, owners and hearing achieved. However, those who fail to report this will be sanctioned with fines, temporary suspension and even the definitive cancellation.
The annual report, proposed in the legislative initiative, will be required for all media, whether printed, television, radial or digital.
Such document must be detailed and contain “at least” the following information: “programming issued or disseminated content, classified by gender and type of material; activities carried out; Special projects financed by external entities and circulation figures, sale of specimens or equivalent (for print media) and audience measurements (for television, radial and digital media), broken down at the national level and, if possible, by regions ”.
Regarding financing, the report must specify the amounts received; the origin of the funds; The sources of financing, both national and international and the specific conditions and terms of the financing obtained. Advertising income or donations must also be detailed.
Meanwhile, on the property, the means are required to specify the identity of the direct and indirect owners; identity of the final beneficiaries; companies that are part of their group and their shareholders. In addition, agreements or control mechanisms that affect the management or editorial line should be indicated.
It includes the informative, advertising, editorial, production and distribution of content, as well as the provision of services related to communication and journalism.
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Executive will control and sanction the media
It will be the Executive Power who will receive and control compliance with this Law and reserve the right to request additional information. In case the media breaches the provisions will be the subject of a sanction. These range from a written warning, economic fines, temporary suspension to definitive cancellation.
With all this, the parliamentarian seeks that “citizens can better know how the media operate and what interests could influence their content”, since the aforementioned reports will be publicly accessible.
On the other hand, the law also requires that “all content financed by third parties must be clearly identified as ‘sponsored content’, specifying the name of the sponsor and, when relevant, the purposes of sponsorship.”
Peruvian press council on bill that threatens the press: “He is persecutory”
Rodrigo Salazar ZimmermannExecutive Director of Peruvian press advice (CPP)he observed, in dialogue with the Republic, the context of this bill.
In this regard, he indicated that his narrative is similar to what was there when the State’s advertising project was discussed and that, in addition, those who add said proposal are the same. He also evidenced the resemblance of Agüero’s initiative with that of the Anti-Hong Law that aims to regulate the financing received by NGOs.
“The bullets skyrocket from the same place, but with different names. It is a project on regulatory and persecutory, ”summarized Salazar Zimmermann.
Likewise, the CPP director evidenced that the proposal is raised by a congressman who has been questioned in the media to say that “the salary did not reach him.”
“The press picked up its statement and took some hatred for that. That shows that what is always in this type of bill is a revenge against those who alerted about the entities that have power and do not exercise it well, ”he said.
“Attentive against freedom of business”
In that sense, he affirmed that the legislative initiative threatens the freedom of the press. “They use the issue of transparency as a mask to consummate their revenge against the press,” he said.
In addition, he explained that it affects the freedom and security of the company, since it requires the media to specify what their sources of financing are.
“Why should the press inform the Executive what silver receives and what does it use? No, it seems exaggerated. We owe the reader, not the Executive. In addition, that financial report is something that is not asked for any other industry, so why do we yes? ”He said.
“The journalists and the media should not justify any of the State over the silver we receive. We don’t have to ask permission or notify it, ”he added.
He also warned that it is disastrous to pretend to sanction the environment with its final cancellation, however, it would be impossible to achieve, since there are digital means to which the State cannot have access.
“There are media that have as their main platform a YouTube channel. How do you close such a means? With a cachaco and a rifle? ”He concluded.
