A proposal to restrict the publication of sexually provocative images in the Colombian media is drawing criticism, with opponents labeling the initiative a threat to freedom of the press.
Partido de la U Senator Claudia Wilches, who presented the bill to Congress, argued for controls on the publication of “mildly pornographic” images.
El Espectador director Fidel Cano said that while the initiative had good intentions, “from these come the worst deeds.”
El Heraldo director Ernesto McCausland said it was worrying that such an initiative was even proposed, but said he was confident that Congress would not pass the bill. McCausland said the proposal was evidence of the “Cubanization” of Latin America, with press censorship on the rise.
Maria Elvira Rodriguez, the director of Cali publication El Pais, said that while the proposal was cause for concern, “the rights to freedom of expression of the press in Colombia have definitely prevailed.”
Nora Sanin, the president of Andiarios, said that the project is well-intentioned, but violates the Colombian constitution and international treaties.
Wilches defended her initiative from the avalanche of criticism, saying “the project seeks to protect minors from the images on the covers [of magazines]. In no way do we want to interfere with the content inside. We are talking about the placement of magazines that have content that may be harmful to children, so that they are protected.”
The president of the Bogota Circle of Journalists, William Giraldo Ceballos, told El Espectador “we explained to the congresswoman that we didn’t find her proposal valid, because the morality she is referring to in terms of children and adolescents is already covered by the Code for Children and Adolescents.”
