Deputy Ernesto Cedeño, proponent of the bill that modifies the right of reply in the media, announced that he will request that this Monday, March 23, a vote be held in the legislative plenary to send said proposal back to first debate. Bill 391 was approved unilaterally on March 11 by the Commission on Government, Justice and Constitutional Affairs of the National Assembly (AN). If the attempt to return it to first debate fails, journalists could only participate in second debate if the legislative plenary approves the courtesy of the floor. The right of reply is already enshrined in Law 22 of 2005. Information in development... Last week, five of the nine members of that commission expressed regret and were in favor of expanding the discussion to seek a consensus. Cedeño, who has already asked for the bill to be returned to first debate, does not know if there are enough votes in the legislative plenary for that to happen. He promised to try it this Monday. "Today I intend to present it, after incidents... God willing, and we will see if it gets the approval of 36 deputies," he said. Press guilds, media owners, and the Foundation for the Development of Citizen Freedom (local chapter of Transparency International) have warned that Bill 391 compromises editorial independence and promotes self-censorship. In fact, the president of that commission himself, Luis Eduardo Camacho, wants to keep the bill in second debate. Now, Cedeño told La Prensa that last Wednesday and Thursday he "mentally" counted the votes and understood that he did not have a majority.
