Chile

CHILE WHEREAS the Chamber of Deputies has passed a bill which contains provisions greatly harmful to freedom of expression, among them: a) giving a preferential right to graduates of Chilean journalism schools to work as journalists b) a so-called societal right to information, the effect of which would be to impose a forced pluralism, dictated by the political authorities, on the newsrooms of each and every media outlet c) an ambiguous government guarantee of pluralism in the media d) an unprecedented broadening of the right of reply - what could be called the right of omission - which creates the possibility that any individual who feels that his or her opinion has been deliberately excluded could force the publication of those views e) a provision that would prohibit a particular media publisher from enjoying a circulation greater than that arbitrarily imposed by law and would limit the amount of property that could be owned by various types of media THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to express to the president of Chile the seriousness of these provisions and to request that he bring his constitutional powers to bear to prevent such aberrant precepts from becoming law to make the president of the Chilean Senate aware of the seriousness of the threat to freedom of expression inherent in the bill which the Senate has received from the Chamber of Deputies, and to request the Upper Chamber to eliminate the aforementioned provisions to entrust to the president of lAPA, on his next visit to Chile, the task of explaining to the President of that nation the dangers hidden in the bill which would gravely compromise the right of free expression in Chile to recommend to all members of the IAPA that they inform their readership and express their editorial opinions about this proposed Chilean legislation, which amounts to such a serious danger to freedom of the press.