Media concentration threatens press freedom in Peru.

AutorJana, Elsa Chanduvi

Peruvians have been debating the danger that media concentration poses to democracy and free expression for nearly eight months. The announcement on Aug. 23, 2013, that Grupo El Comercio would buy 54% of the stock of Empresa Periodistica Nacional (Epensa), a company that owns four dailies, sparked the debate. The acquisition would give the Comercio media company control of 78% of daily newspaper sales and 77% of the advertising market. Before the sale, it operated 49% of Peruvian print media.

Writing in the daily La Primera, Alberto Adrianzen, a political analyst and member of the Parlamento Andino, said, "One shouldn't fear a public debate on media concentration and the need for new media regulations via an independent body or on respect for the role the media has in a democracy to guarantee freedom of the press, expression, information, citizen and journalist rights, but above all, to strengthen and deepen democracy."

In addition to being the biggest media conglomerate in the country-it also owns stock in broadcast outlets-with an editorial and informative line noted for a strict defense of neoliberal policies, El Comercio is an key economic force. It has interest in several other sectors such as construction, airlines, and education, and its companies have major government contracts.

Grupo La Republica, which had also tried to acquire a majority share of Epensa, was the first to warn that El Comercio's acquisition constitutes a concentration of resources and a threat to freedom of expression. La Republica owns 16% of Peru's daily papers.

Although some observers noted that Grupo La Republica's position is related to its frustration at not being able to buy Epensa, it is true that many others see the events as a threat to plurality of views and information and, thus, an attack on democracy. Last November, eight journalists, including La Republica director Gustavo Mohme Seminario, sued to annul Grupo El Comercio's purchase of Epensa, claiming it constitutes media concentration prohibited by Peru's Constitution. The suit was filed with the Juzgado Constitucional of the Corte Superior de Justicia of Lima.

Article 61 of the Constitution says that the state must combat all practices that limit free competition and the abuse of monopolies or dominant positions. Specifically, it says, "Press, radio, television, and other media for expression and social communication, and, in general, the firms and goods and services related to freedom of...

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