JOURNALISM IN THE AMERICAS

María Esther Aguilar Cansimbe went missing Nov. 11, La Jornada reports. She covered the police beat and drug trafficking for El Diaro de Zamora and was a correspondent for Cambio de Michoacán, in the state of Michoacán. (See this report in English by the Committee to Protect Journalists.) read more »

The new acts were revealed firsthand by the country's two largest newspapers and by Radio Corporación, the only opposition radio station that broadcasts nationwide, AFP reports. read more »

Sánchez, who recently reported being detained and beaten up by presumed state agents, submitted interview questions to Presidents Raúl Castro and Barack Obama, two leaders whose actions, she says, “are determining the fate of my country.” read more »

“Clarification of Information” is the name of Álvaro Colom's new program, which is intended to clarify and correct news reported by news media, elPeriódico reports. A government spokesman denied the program seeks to "create antagonism" with the press. read more »

The Senate unanimously approved a law eliminating prison terms for libel and slander by journalists, ten years after the government signed an agreement with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights saying it would do so, La Nación and Página 12 report. read more »

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) will honor journalists from five countries on Nov. 24 at its International Press Freedom Awards ceremony in New York City.

The annual awards go to courageous journalists working in dangerous and repressive circumstances. This year’s awardees are read more »

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) praised a Supreme Court decision (PDF file) to reverse a ruling that freed one of photojournalist José Luis Cabezas’ killers, EFE reports. read more »

Guillermo Zuloaga, president of private TV network Globovisión, said Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has ordered the top prosecutor’s office to arrest him under any pretext to silence the station’s critical coverage, El Nacional and El Nuevo Herald report. read more »

President Obama nominated Dana Perino, George W. Bush’s last press secretary, to the bipartisan board that oversees Washington-sponsored broadcasts such as the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio/TV Martí, the Huffington Post and AFP report. read more »

A public defender and several press groups asked for private broadcaster Red Uno to be punished after airing hidden camera footage of a 13-year-old woman being raped by four men in the city of Santa Cruz, The Associated Press reports.

The situation remained unclear, however, after read more »

A group of newspapers included an insert saying they want "respect" for the rights of citizens to freely choose their source of news, EFE reports. read more »

As part of its yearlong plan to trim the payroll by 10 percent, The Associated Press says it has laid off 90 employees worldwide this week. The newsroom layoffs are the company's largest in memory and account for about 2 percent of its workforce, AP says. Other staff reductions came through buyouts and attrition. read more »

The fall in prices for celebrity photos shows that the paparazzi haven't escaped the economic downturn, Nicole LaPorte writes for The Daily Beast. This is a drastic shift from a year ago, when pictures of a Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s newborn twins sold for $14 million. read more »

The Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) recently concluded the first edition of the Citizen Journalism Contest. Awards were given for radio, audiovisual production, best website, and investigative reporting, El Universal reports. read more »

The largest Hispanic media company in the United States has agreed to feature short- and full-length programs on YouTube, including new and archived programs from the Univisión, TeleFutura and Galavisión networks, Reuters and AFP report. read more »

The judge hearing the assassination case of José Everardo Aguilar acquitted the sole defendant after rejecting the evidence presented by prosecutors, including testimony by the journalist's daughter, El Tiempo reports. read more »

U.S. Internet users are less willing than people in many other Western countries to pay for online news, The New York Times reports, citing a new study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). read more »

Caribbean media organizations have urged police to protect Ivan Cairo of De Ware Tijd one of Suriname’s two daily newspapers. read more »

President Daniel Ortega compared his situation with that of Barack Obama, saying media outlets are promoting his assassination, El Nuevo Diario reports.

Ignoring recent assaults on the news media and journalists, Ortega said freedom of expression abounds in Nicaragua, and the media “says what they want and make up what they want.” read more »

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the country needs a media system with less of a monopoly and more news diversity, ANSA reports.

In a TV interview, Lula said a diversity of broadcasters promotes better journalism, more cultural programming, and political debate, all of which support democratic communication. The president's statements were seen by domestic papers as a reference to Globo, the largest media company in Latin America. read more »