Journalists analyze subsidy offer of their salaries on behalf of Correa’s government

After last Monday, the candidate-president seeking for a third term, Rafael Correa, announced that his government will subsidize the salary increase of small media journalists, the Ecuadorian Association of Broadcasters (AER for its Spanish acronym) analyzes the extent of that notice, because it is uncertain whether the measure will cover local and regional media.

The president said: “I have asked the Ministry of Communications to prepare a contingency plan to support these small stations without storage capacity, non-profit, that could not pay higher wages and that the state may subsidize part of that salary. ”

In response to the announcement, journalists hesitate before bond offer

Roberto Manciatti, AER chairman, said that the statement shocked the members of the guild, but that somehow responds to concerns from the AER, from the Association of Television Channels (ACTV for its Spanish acronym) and from Associated Community and Regional Channels of Ecuador on the economic impact of the rise of prices in radio stations and local and regional television stations.

Marcel Rivas, president of ACTV, said that Correa’s announcement is respectable. However, he explained that the private radio channels live on their own income, so he does not consider necessary to subsidy but the authorities to be aware of the differentiated economic realities that radio and TV media in Quito and Guayaquil have regarding the regional ones.

Juvenal Briones (left), Carlos Sornoza (mid) and Teodoro Cercado are journalists that gave their statements.

Carlos Sornoza, who directs, edits and writes the biweekly Manantial Informational, says that the subsidy “has its pros and cons because the journalist receives a benefit, but it can be dismissed by the company, since the owner would not care to have an employee more responsive to who gives him an allowance than his own boss. ”

Teodoro Cercado, professional journalist, does not consider ethical to receive a subsidy “because with what moral quality could I talk about the government that is paying me a salary.”

Juvenal Briones, editor of monthly tabloid El Observador Ciudadano, agrees in receiving a subsidy, but matches Sornoza that the government had better let them participate in the advertising cake “which has been denied to us today.”

The president of the National Federation and the Association of Journalists of Guayas, Edgar Cedeno, urges his colleagues to refrain from receiving financial assistance from the Government until proven transparency of its decision.