Anniversary Sheet And Heart Cake

Nule Journalists from Mexico and Colombia defend press freedom despite legislative deficiencies

Assistant Colombian agency Noticias Uno, Ignacio Gómez

deputy director of the agency Noticias Uno in Colombia, Ignacio Gomez, and Ivan Alfonso Mexican lawyer, said the big challenge for Latin American journalists to defend freedom of press, although in many countries of the region there are legislative gaps regarding the protection of journalistic work.

In an exclusive interview with Telesur, Gomez said that although there is no journalism movement as such, "there are clear instructions to go ahead in the profession despite the obstacles."

also asserted that "the fight for press freedom in Colombia has been, at first instance by the protection of journalists."

deputy director of the news agency said that although so far in the South American country has 80 schemes to protect journalists, "it would have been cheaper (the Government) to assign an investigator for each journalist killed in that country instead to put so many bodyguards.

Similarly, stressed that the laws are also weak on the issue of access to public information, reason for which calls for this to be "effective and binding."

For its part, the lawyer Alfonso said that in Mexico the laws on freedom of press is very little development, especially in the areas of "procurement and repair of damage to journalists while fulfilling their work ".

law specialist attributed this to the "lack of political will of the Government of Mexico, because there are a large part of policy proposals that have been ignored."

"The law enforcement and protection of journalists from the November 3 would that have operating guidelines and still to this date have not implemented these guidelines, "he complained.

According to the International Press Institute (IPI), some 27 journalists have been killed worldwide so far in 2011.

Libya and Mexico are ranked four and three killed media professionals.

By 2010, according to the IPI, a total of 101 journalists were killed in the world.

The Americas is the second most dangerous, with 32 journalists killed, said Tuesday the Institute. In Honduras alone were killed 10 media professionals.

Given this reality, in the occasion of Press Freedom, different media led campaigns for strengthening the security of journalists and access to information.

teleSUR / lp-GDI