Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0097/00978.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 34KB | 543 lines

$Unique_ID{COW00978}
$Pretitle{290}
$Title{Costa Rica
Chapter 4D.   Politics and the Information Media}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Donald P. Whitaker}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{costa
rica
rican
states
united
nicaragua
countries
government
relations
central}
$Date{1983}
$Log{}
Country:     Costa Rica
Book:        Costa Rica, A Country Study
Author:      Donald P. Whitaker
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1983

Chapter 4D.   Politics and the Information Media

     Journalism in Costa Rica has enjoyed a tradition of freedom from official
control or influence that accorded with the generally open climate in public
life. A study issued in Washington in 1983 found that Costa Rica was one of
only six countries in Latin America where the press could operate without
interference or fear of repression. The press has been notable for its
vitality and professionalism, often vigorously criticizing government actions.
Excessive partisanship has diminished, the main newspapers no longer being
associated with political parties. In 1983 it was not unusual to see political
advertisements that were diametrically opposed to the editorial viewpoint of
the publication in which they appeared.

     The dominant newspaper has been La Nacion, which was founded in 1946 as a
commercial venture. Although national in coverage, nearly two-thirds of its
circulation of 98,000 (in 1982) was in San Jose Province. Its editorial policy
has been conservative, reflecting the interests of the commercial and
financial communities and particularly the views of the ANFE, the most
important business group. It was strongly anticommunist, opposed to the
leftist government of Nicaragua, and aligned with the Roman Catholic hierarchy
on most issues. Its format in 1983 was tabloid, but the tone was serious and
thorough. Its tendency was more to record accurately official pronouncements
than to probe for wrongdoing and shortcomings. In late 1981 a quality weekly,
La Nacion Internacional, was introduced to provide news coverage and analysis
for the entire Central American region.

     The main competitor of La Nacion for morning circulation, La Republica,
was launched by Figueres and his supporters in 1950 to publicize their
activities and ideas that were soon to be embodied in the PLN. It became
independent in the late 1970s, and its circulation gradually increased,
reaching 35,000 by 1982. The third daily, La Prensa Libre, Costa Rica's oldest
newspaper, first appeared in 1885. Its circulation was 15,000 in 1982. Both
the morning La Republica and the evening La Prensa Libre were inclined toward
support of the PLN.

     A number of weekly periodicals appealed chiefly to selected readerships.
Libertad, the organ of the PVP, had a circulation estimated at 5,000 in 1980.
The Tico Times, an English-language weekly addressed to foreigners resident
in Costa Rica (circulation of 8,000 in 1982), provided condensed interpretive
reports on major domestic developments. La Universidad (circulation 30,000),
a weekly linked to the University of Costa Rica's School of Journalism,
contained columns by influential left-wing intellectuals. Several weeklies,
but no dailies, were published outside the capital.

     Costa Rica has not had a national news agency, although the leading
newspapers cooperated in the Central American News Agency and received major
international news services. In the latter part of 1982, the government
announced plans for a national news service under joint public and private
ownership. Shareholders would include domestic radio, television, and
newspaper companies, government communications agencies, and employees of the
news service. The objective was to produce a reliable source of day-to-day
information and news, especially from more remote parts of the country. The
plan was criticized by La Nacion, which feared disproportionate official
influence and a homogeneity in news presentation.

     The print media form an important strand of Costa Rica's political
fabric, contributing to an informed evaluation of issues and supplying a
forum for the discussion of solutions to national problems. Adult literacy
was high, and in the densely populated Meseta Central the public press was
widely read. It was estimated that one copy of a newspaper was available for
every eight inhabitants, whereas in the tropical lowlands the distribution
was only one newspaper per 100 inhabitants. Although Costa Rica's national
income was higher than the average for Latin America, poverty was said to
be a factor preventing a significant sector of the population from seeing
a newspaper regularly.

     Costa Rica supported a flourishing commercial radio industry, consisting
in 1983 of about 49 mediumwave, 48 frequency modulation (FM), and 10
shortwave stations. Regular newscasts were carried by many stations, but the
print media remained the primary source of news. There were five commercial
television channels, one of which was under the direction of the government.
Over 250,000 homes were estimated to have radio receivers in 1982. It was
estimated that the number of television receivers totaled 162,000; more than
90 percent of the homes in San Jose and the provincial cities were equipped
with them.

     As the Nicaraguan information media adopted an increasingly
propagandistic and Marxist tone under that country's leftist government,
concern was expressed by the Costa Rican government about the fact that most
of the northern one-third of its country was dependent to a large extent on
radio and television transmissions from Nicaragua. At best, two Costa Rican
radio stations, but no television signals, could be received in these areas.
In September 1982 the government announced that two 50-kilowatt transmitters
would operate in northern Guanacaste and the basin of the Rio San Carlos, in
northern Alajuela, providing news and cultural programs. A coast-to-coast
chain of small 200-watt transmitters was also to be operated by the National
Radio Service. The government of Liechtenstein was sponsoring a cluster of
single-kilowatt rural stations emphasizing information and self-education.
Four of these stations were launched in 1982, and it was expected that a
total of 11 would be in operation during 1983.

     The Constitution protects the people's right to express opinions, to
communicate thoughts in writing, and to publish them without prior
censorship. Exceptions are provided for writings that are harmful to public
morals and public order, or that are found to contain political propaganda
invoking religious motives or making use of religious beliefs. Other basic
laws affecting the information media are the Press Law of 1902, as amended
and expanded, and the Radio Law of 1954. The Press Law provides for a
prison term of up to six months for defamation. Such cases are to be tried
by a special section of the Supreme Court of Justice, and leniency is
prescribed if the action has been taken with the public interest in mind.
The international subversion of friendly relations with another country is
also punishable.

     An 11-member censorship board, having the right to prohibit any
material that "transgresses legal, moral, or social norms, or anything that
poses a threat to Costa Rican society," reviewed films, television and radio
programs, journals, and public performances. The board's influence was felt
primarily in the area of imported films. In 1981 about 15 percent of the 436
films reviewed were banned and 28 percent were subjected to restrictions, such
as setting age minima or requiring that they be shown only after 9:00 p.m.
The board has tended to draw criticism for being overly permissive in the
area of live theatrical performances.

     The most controversial provision affecting the press is the Guild of
Journalists Law of 1969 requiring all persons serving as reporters on the
domestic media to be graduates of the University of Costa Rica's School of
Journalism. In a highly publicized case, an American reporter was prose