Uruguay court ruling threatens press freedom

A decision by the Uruguayan supreme court to reinstate the conviction of a journalist on a charge of "criminal defamation" has alarmed press freedom organisations. Carlos Dogliani Staricco, a reporter with a weekly paper in Paysandú, El Regional, wrote stories accusing a mayor of fraud. Asserting the truth of his claims, he was originally cleared of defamation charges. But the supreme court has overturned that verdict, sentencing Dogliani to a five-month suspended term. A US-based press watchdog, the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the ruling means that public officials are being protected from scrutiny, "which is antithetical to democracy." (Via CPJ.org)