Watchdog in Ecuador fines media over unreported story

Seven media companies in Ecuador have been fined for not publishing a story believed to be in the public interest.

A story alleging offshore dealings involving opposition politician – and recent presidential candidate – Guillermo Lasso.

The story appeared last month in Pagina 12, a left-wing newspaper in Argentina.

In a ruling, Ecuador's media watchdog said that a number of outlets – television channels Televicentro, Teleamazonas and Ecuavisa, and newspapers El Comercio, La Hora, Expreso and El Universo – had a duty to cover the story.

Appeals are underway as each side accuses the other of censorship.

Supercom, as the watchdog is know, fined each of the companies US$3750 in a move described by superintendent Carlos Ochoa as a punishment as well as motivation for improving journalism in the country.

The mechanism to fine media companies was introduced in 2013 by President Rafael Correa.