A few days ago in Peru, the news broke of a bill that had been approved by the Justice Commission in Congress, proposing an amendment to section 183-B of the Penal Code, which sanctions the media publication of obscene and pornographic displays. As a result, the banners of Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech were raised by opponents.

The bill's main section says the following: shall be punished with deprivation of liberty of not less than two years nor more than six years, the Director, Editor or person responsible for publications or editions, transmitted through media such as newspapers, magazines, posters, panels, leaflets, radio, television or any other means of communication that produces a similar communication effect, who publicize images, messages or audio that is obscene or pornographic.

Those who are leading the opposition to this bill are the media and journalists, who were the most affected. Some bloggers, especially those who are journalists and are also linked to the media, have also argued against this bill. For example, in the blog Blawyer.org Miguel Morachimo who is against the project, publishes [es] a series of points he has identified as problems in the bill:

1. The article does not define what is meant by obscene or pornographic.
2. There is an identical item in the Law on Radio and Television.
3. The rule is not aimed at protecting minors.
4. The rule aims to be applied to any means of communication.
5. The rule may be used as a tool of censorship.

The popular ZNS TV news show Press Pass has been pulled off the air, reportedly because management of the state-run channel objected to criticism of the government's budget cuts as it related to ZNS.

The pre-taped 30-minute programme - which is hosted by ZNS senior reporter Shenique Miller and is a discussion between journalists from various media houses - was supposed to feature a debate this week about the recent Budget Communication, with particular emphasis on the 50% cut to ZNS' allocation.

Following the taping, ZNS was reportedly all abuzz, with many staff members being urged to tune-in to the show. However, this show was abruptly pulled without explanation.

When contacted by The Tribune yesterday for the reason behind this decision, the Senior Deputy General Manager of Radio and Television Kaylessa Deveaux-Isaacs said that the corporation has a system whereby they are given a list of the topics that would be discussed in advance of any taping. According to Mrs Deveaux-Isaacs, the topics that were approved were not the ones discussed during the show.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has banned Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head vodka, deeming the bottle to be in poor taste. LCBO is the only legal source of distilled spirits in Ontario.

Aykroyd, an Ontario native, is unperturbed by the ban, which he says kind of makes the product more appealing.

A spokesman explains the LCBO's concerns:

The image of the human skull is the thing that's really problematic for us. That's an image that's commonly associated with death. It's especially problematic at a time when there are concerns around binge drinking by younger adults, which in some cases unfortunately has resulted in alcohol poisoning.

Whatever the merits of that argument, it's highly improbable that binge-drinkers will want to lay out $60 for a bottle of Aykroyd's super-premium vodka in the first place.