Media owners can restrict the freedom of the press

05-14-2009 | STAFF

mpujolstar@laestrella.com.pa

Economic interests are dominating the media impairing the work of journalists

Panama Star PANAMA. Media owners are putting economic interests before information denouncing corruption and other problems of society said the Inter-American Press Society (SIP,) president, Enrique Santos.

“The problem is that the very nature of the media is to question and give opinions. When economic interests and thrown into the equation then there is a conflict of interest,” said Santos.

He added that the only way to fight that situation is for journalists and international groups to organize themselves to detect those incidents.

One of the main enemies of the freedom of the press is the auto-censorship because they are afraid of retaliations if they say too much as in Colombia, said Santos.