Peru press association proposes a bill to replace state broadcaster

IN BRIEF:

• The Peruvian Press Council has proposed the establishment of a new public service media outfit, after a series of scandals at the current national media outlet, IRTP.
• The Press Council also suggested removing the possibility of political appointments, and suggested a new entity to uphold independence.
• The IRTP has faced criticism of being too close to the current political leadership, as well as for how it has handled its finances this year.

IN FULL:

A press association in Peru has presented a proposal to create a new public media company that it said will enshrine independence after a series of scandals over press freedom at the current state-owned broadcaster.

One of the central proposals of the document by the Peruvian Press Council was to change the way the board of the National Institute of Radio and Television (IRTP) is appointed, removing political appointments.

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It also proposed creating a new entity, the National Commission of Cinema, Radio, Television and Digital Media. The new entity, the council said, would be based on principles of truthfulness, neutrality, impartiality and the plurality of content. It would also have a remit to promote national values, education and culture.

Another proposal was to create a position of ‘public defender’, whose job would be to supervise content, as well as to receive, process and follow up complaints and requests from the public.

The press council said the proposal followed several worrying developments that have called into question the independence of IRTP across several Peruvian governments.

Peru has been going through several years of political turmoil, which has included failed coups, attempted constitutional changes, and large protests. The National Association of Journalists said 2022 was the “worst of the century” for journalists, with a significant growth in the number of threats, harassment, and lawsuits towards journalists, and an overall trend towards authoritarianism.

In June, the national congress passed a measure that would see members of the executive and legislative branches of government added to the broadcaster’s board, which the Peruvian Press Council decried as a threat to press freedom and an attempt at censorship.

“This is an open attack on the independence that the IRTP must have in order to inform Peruvians neutrally: it subjects its editorial line to the pressures of those in power, something that has occurred last year with the dismissal of many journalists from the channel,” the council said in a statement.

“Similar laws have already been passed in the dictatorships of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.”

That same month, prosecutors launched an investigation into the broadcaster’s president, Ninoska Chandia, over allegations she had used IRTP resources to record commercials for a private university she was linked to. The broadcaster also faced criticism over the summer for the handling of its finances, with 80 percent of its annual budget used up in the first four months of the financial year.

The Attorney General’s office said it affected “the proper development and operation of public administration with respect to the use of public assets.”

The IRTP is currently part of the Ministry of Culture, although it has administrative and financial autonomy. It manages the TV Perú network, an international channel, and a national radio network.