Ecuador press freedom threat.

(From Guardian Unlimited)

The people of Ecuador are being asked to vote in a referendum on whether the country should have a media regulator that journalists fear will inhibit freedom of expression.

The New York-based press freedom watchdog, the Committee to Protect Journalists, has written to Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, to register its concern.

The 10-point referendum, scheduled for 7 May, will ask several questions on a range of issues. The one that has alarmed CPJ is about approving a communications law - supposedly aimed at curbing "media excesses" - that includes the creation of a council to regulate media content.

It would also …