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Secom promotes Public Media Law
Posted On 22 Feb 2018
Ecuadornews:
The new secretary of Communication, Andrés Michelena, indicated that the entity will serve as a link with the citizenry and there will be total openness to public and private media.
The reforms to the Organic Law of Communication (or public media law) (LOC) and a regulation for the public media, to guarantee their independence, were the announcements made yesterday by the new National Secretary of Communication (Secom), Andrés Michelena.
In his first actions, after his appointment by Executive Decree, Michelena said that his management will also focus on promoting direct communication with people. “We are going to have a President of the Republic close to the citizen, with telephone calls, visits in the territory,” he said.
He clarified that by order of the President he will deepen the process of dialogue for a reform of the LOC that is why the Government has invited communicators, to share their criteria, to a meeting that will take place today.
In this regard the undersecretary of Outgoing Information, Fabricio Cevallos, indicated that the Secom developed workshops in different provinces, where proposals for a reform were collected.
He emphasized that the private media did not attend the convocation, even though they were invited. “All the proposals have been systematized until a draft on possible changes related to the LOC”.
Danilo Sylva, representative of the Executive before the Council of Regulation and Development of Information and Communication (Cordicom), stressed that the entity has made contacts with representatives of private, community, academic media and “voices that have been able to contribute to develop the reforms” .
He said that citizens expect that project exists, so “in a short time we will have the opportunity to present it to the Head of State.” Michelena clarified that they will work in information processes and not propaganda, for which they will use the means of communication that the Government has, leaving total autonomy to the public, both in its editorial and financial line.
He also announced that the first Law on Public Media is in the process of being drafted, with which the country will count, in a way that guarantees independence and encourages its development.
The secretary said that from next week he will establish the editorial boards to which the public and private media will be invited. “We are going to work in an open door Secom”
Group joins to promote changes to the regulations
A new group, made up of journalists, lawyers and media owners, was formed to promote reforms to the Communication Law (LOC). César Ricaurte, representative of Fundamedios, said that they hope to coordinate meetings with the Secretariat of Communication so that suggestions for change are accepted, thus moving from a sanctioning to a proactive law that promotes the development of public, private and community media.
He said the proposals include eliminating entities created “without reason, such as the Supercom that was dedicated to prosecuting journalists and the media.” He also considered that the figure of the media lynching must be eliminated. “In the past decade there have been 2,000 attacks on the press.”
In Guayaquil there was also a show of support for eventual reforms, in which two television journalists identified themselves with the initiative, although they admitted that they still did not know in what time they could submit their proposals for reforms to the Organic Law of Communication. (I)
Source: http://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/
