(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is concerned about the obstacles being encountered by three proposed federal laws that would regulate the allocation of state advertising to the media, which governments too often use to reward supporters and punish critics. “Assigning public advertising in a discriminatory manner seriously affects the functioning of some media, especially in the provinces, […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is concerned about the obstacles being encountered by three proposed federal laws that would regulate the allocation of state advertising to the media, which governments too often use to reward supporters and punish critics.
“Assigning public advertising in a discriminatory manner seriously affects the functioning of some media, especially in the provinces, and constantly fuels tension between the press and the government,” the press freedom organisation said. “It is high time this situation ended, and the bills submitted to the federal Parliament could help achieve this.”
RSF added, “It is rather paradoxical that the government and its parliamentary majority envision an increased advertising budget but balk at accepting improved guarantees as regards its distribution.”
According to the organisation Poder Ciudadano (Citizen Power), state advertising spending increased to 127 million Argentine pesos (approx. 32.7 million euros) in 2005 – 43.8 percent more than the amount originally budgeted. In 2006, advertising spending reached 161 million pesos (approx. 41.4 million euros). The proposed advertising budget for 2007, currently being discussed by the federal Chamber of Representatives, is 225 million pesos (approx. 58 million euros).
Three bills aimed at ensuring a fairer distribution of this windfall have been introduced in the Congress. The first one was submitted to the Senate by Ricardo Gómez Diez of the Renewal Party, and is backed by Ernesto Sanz of the Radical Civic Union (UCR) and Hilda González de Duhalde of the ruling Justicialista (Peronist) Party (PJ).
It would guarantee that 15 percent of the amount would be automatically allocated among all the media outlets that are on a state advertising registry, to be established, while the remaining 85 percent would be distributed to radio and television stations according to their ratings, and to newspapers and magazines according to the number of copies sold.
This bill has run into opposition from the Peronist president of the Senate’s media and freedom of expression commission, Guillermo Jenefes, who told the daily “La Nación” on 17 October 2006, “I don’t think this is a matter we need to legislate on. What’s more, there is absolute freedom of expression in Argentina.”
Senator Gómez, the bill’s proponent, told RSF there was “evident discrimination” in the distribution of state advertising. He also spoke of the need “to reduce the difficulties for journalists to access information, and the lack of communication mechanisms such as news conferences by government officials, which currently do not exist.”
A bill that was presented to the Chamber of Representatives in 2004 by Federico Pinedo of the PRO bloc and was reintroduced in 2006 also proposes the creation of a state advertising registry but stipulates that the criteria for allocating advertising should be the geographical location of the media’s readers or audience, and their degree of interest in its subject matter. However, this bill has never been placed on the chamber’s agenda. The same applies to a third bill presented by legislative member Silvina Giudici of the UCR.
