Latin American press

Latin American governments are stifling freedom of the press, according to the Inter American Press Association, a group representing 1,380 publications across the Western Hemisphere.

Members of the organization recently discussed threats to freedom of expression during a conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

"What we're seeing happen from one country to the next is that they're approving laws to silence the press," Gonzalo Marroquin, publisher of Prensa Libre of Guatemala, told the Associated Press.

Argentina's new law restricting ownership, for instance, will force the country's largest media corporation, Grupo Clarin, to sell many of its outlets.

The governments of Ecuador and Colombia are seeking to punish media for violating ethical standards that are unclear.

Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina are restricting press freedoms "because governments that want to stay in power need to control the news media," Mr. Marroquin said.

Journalists are increasingly the victims of murders, kidnappings and other violence. Some governments ignore or encourage such acts. Many journalists have left the profession or censored themselves, the group reported.

If the governments are muzzling or stifling news coverage and commentary, that is a setback not just to journalists but a danger to the region itself. If this continues, it will make the news from Latin America suspect and the people in the region less free.