Faced with LigaPro’s refusal to accredit EL UNIVERSO photographers, it is necessary to ‘file protection actions’, suggests the director of Fundamedios

“Interpose protection actions” suggests César Ricaurte, founder and director of Fundamedios (Andean Foundation for the Observation and Study of Media), in the face of the firm refusal of the Professional Soccer League of Ecuador to accredit the photographers of EL UNIVERSO so that these cover the national championship games, as they have done since 1957.

“It would be appropriate to file protection actions, judicial, constitutional. Although the LigaPro is an entity governed by private law, governed by this scheme of relationships and contracts between private parties, At the same time, it is necessary to understand that sport, and specifically football, generates information of high public interest and that this cannot be limited by commercial or other interests.”, Ricaurte commented this Monday, in a chat with this newspaper.

For the man from the capital, a journalist with more than 30 years of experience, LigaPro’s position is “a clear example of limiting access to public information. Thousands of citizens, thousands of fans, expect to be informed through the media about what happens in sport”.

‘Against freedom of expression’

Ricaurte, who in May 2012, during World Press Freedom Day, was included by Barak Obama, then president of the United States, in a list of the most prominent activists, the LigaPro’s actions “attack the fundamental right of access to public information and with that, freedom of expression is also undermined.”

Ricaurte opined that “it is unacceptable to want to limit access to public information, be it for commercial interests or for other reasons. Surely what is behind this, despite the fact that there has been no official pronouncement, it is the idea of ​​monopolizing the images of the championship and that it be only a company or an agencydesignated by the LigaPro, the one that has the rights and is the one that sells these images to the media”.

LigaPro denies EL UNIVERSO accreditation for photographers to cover the championship

This newspaper explained to the president of the LigaPro, Miguel Ángel Loor, that once the biosecurity measures that governed the coronavirus pandemic have been relaxed, it is necessary to accredit photographers in order to have the possibility of having their own photos and not graphics that they digitally, the logos of a LigaPro sponsor are usually added. César Ricaurte also spoke about this practice, which Club Sport Emelec has already complained about, through its president Nassib Neme.

‘It’s reprehensible’

“It is not correct (altering the photos). In addition, it creates difficulties for the media that want to use these images. Trying to impose commercial content on the media in this way is unacceptable, really”, said the director of Fundamedios, an entity founded in 2007.

Ricaurte reinforced his point of view: “We are facing an absolutely inadequate handling of these issues by the LigaPro. Obviously, commercial interests are being privileged before the rights of citizens to be informed and that is reprehensible”.

LigaPro has a communication department that poorly communicates, without clarity, some of the messages it intends to convey. An example of this is the ambiguous response that EL UNIVERSO received, on the previous February 18, to the request for accreditation of photographers made to that entity.

“At the moment we are not accrediting people with the function of radio technicians, photographers, producers and cameramen since the entrance to the press box of the stadiums will continue to be handled as it was in the year 2021”, says the reply, without signature of responsibility.

LigaPro, silent

And to the letter sent by this newspaper on March 7, in which the LigaPro is asked to explain the real cause of the rejection of the request, the Communication department, to this day, does not communicate.

LigaPro has so far only accredited photographers from api (Independent Press Agency). Meanwhile, the Communication Department ‘vetoes’ graphic reporters from other media outlets under the pretext of “at the moment we are not accrediting”. (D)