After 65 days in committee, a controversial media law is ready for debate by the full National Assembly, Reuters and El Comercio report. Media outlets and press groups responded by calling the bill an attack on free expression, BBC Mundo adds. 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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

The Austria-based International Press Institute (IPI) has sent a delegation to Caracas this week for a four-day mission to investigate the state of press freedom. The country has been on IPI’s “watch list” since October 2000. (See information about other IPI missions here.) read more »

A new report by UNESCO and the Center for Studies on Public Security and Citizenship shows that police often face reprisal for independent commentary on blogs, but they believe their voices have helped diversify the discussion on security issues. Previous coverage of law enforcement was dominated by police public relations departments and professional crime reporters, but now police departments are participating in social media, the authors say. read more »

Every country should analyze its own record on freedom of expression, and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) should avoid an ideological focus in its analysis of media in the hemisphere, the U.N.'s rapporteur for freedom of expression, Frank La Rue, told Ecuador's El Comercio. read more »

The island’s blogging community has gained more attention recently due to its online protest last month and the difficulties faced by blogger Yoani Sánchez, who was prohibited from traveling to receive an award, and last week reported being detained and beaten by Cuban security agents. read more »

The island’s most famous blogger, author of Generation Y, said she and a fellow blogger were punched and forced violently into a car by presumed state security agents, Juan Tamayo reports for the Miami Herald. The bloggers were walking toward downtown Havana to take part in a protest march organized by musicians. read more »

The assassination of police reporter Bladimir Antuna in Durango has once again exposed the helplessness of media workers in Mexico. The situation makes the country one of the world's most riskiest in which to practice journalism. read more »

Some 500 editors and publishers are gathered in Buenos Aires for the Inter American Press Association's Annual Assembly, taking place Nov. 6–10. read more »

The Supreme Court rejected a challenge by the owner of Caracas-based radio station CNB 102.3, which sought to annul the state telecom regulator’s August decision to close the station, AFP reports. read more »

The international blogging community Global Voices has launched Threatened Voices, a site that tracks the suppression of online expression. The site centralizes information from a range of free speech advocacy networks with a map and timeline of threats, arrests, and violence due to online speech. read more »

Protesters belonging to the truck drivers' union prevented Clarín and La Nación from leaving their printing plants, Momento 24 reports. Only a portion of the dailies could be delivered in some provinces in the interior. read more »

In its 137th public session Nov. 2-6 in Washington, DC, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will consider freedom of expression complaints from several Latin American countries. See the schedule here. read more »

The Chamber of Deputies, supported by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, voted to eliminate prison terms for libel and slander offenses, meeting a long-standing demand from journalism groups, La Nación reports. The law still needs to pass the Senate. read more »

Since July 31, O Estado de S. Paulo has not been allowed to publish stories involving the son of former president and current Senate leader José Sarney. read more »