Ecuador's Media Fights Back

I’m pleased to see that Ecuadorian media is suing over the country’s repressive new media laws.

Journalists, commentators and others in the media industry in Ecuador filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in the Constitutional Court, the country's highest court, aiming to declare unconstitutional a recently passed law to regulate communications. [ … ] 

In June, Ecuador's legislature approved the law tightening media regulations, which raised concerns about an erosion of press freedoms and which gave an important victory to President Rafael Correa, who has clashed repeatedly with independent journalists. [ … ] 

Among other things, the law orders that a third of radio and television frequencies be in the hands of the state, another 33% in the private sector and the rest for community media, which would be run by communities or NGOs across the country. 

The law creates a government communications superintendent position that will audit, intervene and control the media and be able to impose sanctions.

That last paragraph pretty much summarizes the problem, since I fail to see any difference between a “government communications superintendent”, as defined, and what I would call a “censor”.

I’m not terribly hopeful, unfortunately, since Correa has control of the courts, and I doubt they will have the courage to defy him.