Freedom of the Press 2008 - Peru

Status: Partly Free
Legal Environment: 15 (of 30)
Political Environment: 18 (of 40)
Economic Environment: 11 (of 30)
Total Score: 44 (of 100)
(Lower scores = freer)

Peru's media freedom declined in 2007 amid a series of threats and physical attacks against media workers. Freedom of the press is guaranteed in the 1993 constitution, but local and international media organizations continued to express concern about the state of press freedom. In 2002 and 2003, the government of President Alejandro Toledo passed laws expanding access to public information. The willingness of many agencies to provide information has grown, despite a July 2005 measure that tightened restrictions on access to information in certain categories and extended the timelines for release of classified information. Desacato (disrespect) laws continue to be a problem. A number of journalists were entangled in court cases in 2007, charged with defamation by public officials and private citizens, and reporters were sentenced to prison in six cases, though the sentences were either suspended or remained under appeal at year's end. On June 19, the government censored an exhibit featuring works by political cartoonist Piero Quijano. Controversy also ensued on several occasions when local radio and television stations were closed. In April three radio and three television stations were closed in Chimbote, while a radio station in Pisco was closed in September. In each case the government claimed that licenses were missing or expired, while critics noted that in each case the stations had recently been critical of government actions.

In addition to legal difficulties, the hostile climate for the press is evidenced by numerous instances of physical attacks and verbal threats. Local press watchdog Instituto de Prensa y Sociedad dramatically increased the number of alerts it issued, from 96 in 2006 to 121 in 2007. The majority of these violations came in the form of physical aggression (38%) and death threats (23%). Journalists working in the country's interior provinces are especially vulnerable. Reporters covering crime stories and scandals were targeted largely after reporting on corruption. In March, Cajamarca journalist Miguel Perez Julca was murdered. While he had made several corruption accusations on his radio show and several suspects were arrested, other reporters alleged that the real reason for his murder was his announcement that he was going to name corrupt policemen. Journalists in Loreto, San Martin, and Ancash also faced murder attempts. Protests also resulted in violence against journalists, especially those involving coca-growers. Remnants of the Shining Path rebel group, now associated with cocaine production, published a list of threatened journalists in December in Huanuco.

Most abuses of journalists by public officials and private citizens continue to go unpunished. On a positive note, President Alan Garcia signed the Inter-American Press Association-sponsored Declaration of Chapultepec, which commits the government to action against impunity. In the case of the 2004 murder of radio journalist Alberto Rivera in the city of Pucallpa, several individuals were sentenced, but the ex-Pucallpa mayor viewed as the intellectual author was cleared, leading to the opening of an investigation of the judges who had let him go. However, two men were convicted and sentenced for the 1988 killing of reporter Hugo Bustios.

Private investors dominate the media industry, and in comparison the audience for state-run media is relatively small. The government owns two television networks and one radio station and operates the print news agency Andina. Radio is an important medium, especially in the countryside. Peru's media are diverse and express a broad range of viewpoints. The media corruption that was endemic in the Fujimori era continues to an extent today, with both owners and individual journalists sometimes accepting bribes in exchange for slanted coverage. One government minister was accused of trying to buy favorable coverage in several print outlets. These activities contribute to a long-standing lack of confidence in the press as a credible institution. National newspapers are also dependent on advertising revenue from a small number of large companies. The internet is open and unrestricted by the government, with just under 16 percent of the population accessing the web in 2006.