Law on Social Responsibility on Radio and Television
Encyclopedia
The Law on Social Responsibility on Radio and Television (Ley de Responsabilidad Social en Radio y Televisión, known as the LRS or the Ley Resorte) is a Venezuela
n law, adopted by the National Assembly
and in force since 7 December 2004.
Its purpose is to establish a legal framework for the social responsibility of radio and television broadcasters, national and independent producers of radio and TV programming, and viewers and listeners in the dissemination and reception of transmitted information. Its stated aim is to "strike a democratic balance between duties, rights, and interests, in order to promote social justice and further the development of the citizenry, democracy, peace, human rights, education, culture, public health, and the nation's social and economic development."
The government called it a "building block for the modernization of the country's communications sector",
whereas the opposition believes it increases state control over the media.
Likewise, every network is instructed to air the government's teasers, their political campaigns and to interrupt the usual schedule when national announcements by the President of the Republic, known as Cadenas ("Chains", referring to the fact that every radio and TV network must air simultaneously these announcements) are about to be broadcast.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n law, adopted by the National Assembly
National Assembly of Venezuela
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the Venezuelan government. It is a unicameral body made up of a variable number of members, who are elected by "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vote partly by direct election in state-based voting districts, and partly on a state-based...
and in force since 7 December 2004.
Its purpose is to establish a legal framework for the social responsibility of radio and television broadcasters, national and independent producers of radio and TV programming, and viewers and listeners in the dissemination and reception of transmitted information. Its stated aim is to "strike a democratic balance between duties, rights, and interests, in order to promote social justice and further the development of the citizenry, democracy, peace, human rights, education, culture, public health, and the nation's social and economic development."
The government called it a "building block for the modernization of the country's communications sector",
whereas the opposition believes it increases state control over the media.
Features
The law's purpose is to instruct the Venezuelan television networks to air cultural content and to establish schedules for each category of the series and programs. The rating for each program is based on four content types: Language, health, sex, and violence; when a program is about to be broadcast, these content issues can either be announced with their respective "level measure" or not, depending on the channel's way to show the advice. Also, depending on the schedule and the advised contents, the program may either be suitable, in need of parental guidance or non-suitable for young children and teenagers. It is also specified if the series is a national production (made by the channel), an independent national production (made by a separate company) or an international production (a foreign program).Likewise, every network is instructed to air the government's teasers, their political campaigns and to interrupt the usual schedule when national announcements by the President of the Republic, known as Cadenas ("Chains", referring to the fact that every radio and TV network must air simultaneously these announcements) are about to be broadcast.
Source
- The original version of this article was translated, with minor changes, from the corresponding article on the Spanish-language WikipediaSpanish WikipediaThe Spanish Wikipedia is a Spanish-language edition of Wikipedia, a free, online encyclopedia. It currently has articles. Started in May 2001, it reached 100,000 articles on March 8, 2006. Currently, it is the 6th largest Wikipedia as measured by the number of articles, having surpassed Polish...
.
External links
- Ley de Responsabilidad Social en Radio y Televisión Full text of law
- Angel Luis Olivera Soto, "Prior Restraints in Venezuela's Social Responsibility on Radio and Television Act: Are they Justified?" 40 Geo. Wash. Int'l L. Rev. 401 (2008). http://docs.law.gwu.edu/stdg/gwilr/PDFs/40-2/40-2-2-Soto.pdf