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Alert

Journalists and media outlets call on new government to pass laws and public policies that democratise communication

(AMARC/IFEX) - El Salvador, 3 May 2009 - In the framework of World Press Freedom Day, the Movement for Democratic Communication launched a campaign calling on the government elect, which will take power on 1 June, to implement public policies on information and communication.

According to the Movement, which is comprised of freedom of expression and communications rights organisations, the implementation of these policies would contribute to "the initiation of the democratisation of communication as a key element in supporting and strengthening the democratic process."

The Movement is demanding the passage of an access to information law as well as legislation that would cover the allocation of government advertising contracts using technical and equitable criteria, taking into account national, regional and local aspects. The organisations in the Movement are also calling for a national consultation process to address the "digitalisation" of frequencies used by state, private/commercial and community broadcasters. Finally, they believe that the Telecommunications Law must be revised to guarantee just and equitable access to radio and television frequencies.

The Movement for Democratic Communication is comprised of AMARC's El Salvador chapter, the Communication Foundation for Development (Fundación de la Comunicación para el Desarrollo, COMUNICÁNDONOS), the El Salvador Independent Journalists' Union (Sindicato de Periodistas Independientes y Similares de El Salvador, SINPES), the Centre for Salvadoran Women's Radio (Centro de Orientación Radial para la Mujer Salvadoreña, CORAMS), the Intersectoral Association for Economic Development and Social Progress (Asociación Intersectorial para el Desarrollo Económico y el Progreso Social, CIDEP), El Independiente, Diario Colatino, Radio Guazapa and the Juridical Studies Foundation for the Application of Law (Fundación de Estudios Jurídicos para la Aplicación del Derecho, FESPAD).