SNRTV: “Congressional bill aims to control media content”

The National Radio and Television Society (SNRTV) has warned that a bill introduced by Peru Libre, which would oblige media outlets to broadcast music, art and a minimum of 40% of national programming per day, “intends to take full control of the media” by setting content quotas .

In a statement, the journalists’ union questioned whether the initiative was “misleading” about the need to support the distribution of national music productions when the goal would be to “facilitate the suspension and/or revocation of company licenses.” broadcasting”.

Informing that the proposal presented by the congressman Alex Flores already has positive opinions from the committees of the Congress on transport and communications and culture and cultural heritage and is ready to put on the agenda of the plenum, they called it “anti-technical” that it is intended to change the Act on the Performing Artist and in Radio and Television Law applying a daily content quota of 40% of national production.

“In a clear attack on the right to choose citizens. The bill intends to boost the consumption of certain types of music and audiovisual programs by devoting nearly 8 hours a day to the content they intend to impose. The proposal not only intends to change national production emission quotas and the way they are calculated, it also excessively stipulates that non-compliance with it will be sanctioned by the revocation of its operating permit,” they pointed out.

“This proposal violates the freedom of choice of users of various media, as it aims to control the content they consume, without regard to the existence of thematic stations and specialized in a particular musical genre,” they added.

Finally, they recalled that this initiative is complemented by other initiatives that affect the role of the press and the media, such as the one aimed at limiting the practice of journalism to qualified and collegial professionals in this specialty, and the initiative to increase prison sentences for slander. . Similarly, they urged congressmen from different benches to “thoroughly analyze the considerations in this proposal and the real purpose it pursues.”

Bill “arbitrary”

In this regard, the criminal defense lawyer Roberto Pereiraa specialist in media law and freedom of the press, questioned a bill that would oblige the media to broadcast music, art, and at least 40% of national programming daily from 05:00 to 24:00.

In an interview with RPP, he recalled that this project is part of other initiatives that have a similar profile. In addition, he pointed out that this proposal not only refers to the promotion of national production, which is already contained in the law on radio and television, but also intends to impose content that implies a certain budget.

“This is part of a process, a series of initiatives that have been proposed in Congress. From time to time, congressmen attack freedom of expression, freedom of information through a series of initiatives that try to limit the right to freedom of expression, to control the media,” he asked.

“This is another project that, from my point of view, is related to the ban under Article 13 of the American Convention, which is the abuse of the power of the state to regulate radio frequencies. to the usual, you can’t do it in an offensive and disproportionate way, and I think it is,” he added.

Mentioning that the bill obliging the media to broadcast national music, art and products “opens the door to arbitrariness” on the part of officials who will exercise this control, the lawyer insisted that it was about “interference” in the content of the media.

“This is clearly an interventionist project, inspired by a kind of folklore production quota law, which is completely wrong because it goes beyond this figure (…) This norm is clearly disproportionate, because it makes absolutely arbitrary intervention in the content of the media”, he added.

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