PT insists on regulating the media

The 4th PT congress this weekend in Brasília approved a motion to renew discussions on the regulation (“marco regulatório”) of the media.

According to Rui Falcão, the president of the political party, a document drawn up during the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration is being revised and will be sent to the Congress in a short time. Falcão explained that the objective of the new rules would not be to censure any vehicle, including the internet. “What we do not want is ‘political party journalism’ (“jornalismo partidário”) or big groups that control more than one vehicle.”

Falcão said the motion for communication media rules was approved unanimously. He added that the party will pressure Congress to approve such legislation with a focus on “communication democratization” that will guarantee freedom of the press, the right to opinion and no censorship of content. The idea is to restrict what Falcão called vertical ownership (“propriedade cruzada”) in mass communications, where a single economic group controls a network of vehicles. It is also intended to prohibit members of Congress from owning radio and TV stations or newspapers in the future.