This media group is subordinated to the National Assembly and operates the Legislative Television channel (TVL) and the National Assembly Radio channel (La Radio de la AN).
Media assets
Television: Televisión Legislativa
Radio: Radio Asamblea Nacional
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Medios Legislativos is subordinated to an office in the National Assembly that is in charge of the Television and Radio of the Ecuadorian Congress. This office is accountable to the Secretary of Communication of the Congress. Both the office and the secretary are named by the President of the National Assembly in line with the Assembly Regulations. Additionally, the Medios Legislativos television and radio channels each have a “leader” who is accountable to the same office in charge of Medios Legislativos.
Source of funding and budget
The total funding of Medios Legislativos was nearly US$ 468,000 in 2019, according to the latest data available. Of that amount, some US$ 301,000 was allocated to the television channel as the group’s radio station budget reached US$ 166,000. All of the outlet’s funding comes from the state budget. No other financial data have been released since then.
Editorial independence
Medios Legislativos is totally dependent on the Congress, in which the government has a majority. This explains why the information broadcast by its channels is favorable to the president in charge.
The Organic Law of the Legislative Function of Ecuador establishes that the national assembly (the country’s Congress) can establish and run “institutional media.” The law empowers the Legislative Administration Council to prepare the regulations and norms that it deems necessary to guide the work of the media under the supervision of the Assembly and the coordination of Medios Legislativos. The broadcaster has a code of ethics that its staff must observe.
However, no statute that establishes the editorial independence and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate the editorial independence of the media group have been identified.
August 2023