Journalism in El Salvador. The “rehash” or plagiarism in the news media newsrooms

Abstract

The media in El Salvador, when they produce the news and distribute it, use information from documentary sources -written, audiovisual or internet-, they usually do not cite the sources they have used.Undoubtedly, this evil is not exclusive to the local media , is expressed internationally.

The problem, within the framework of the development of new technologies and the enormous volumes of information to which we have access, has become even more widespread and complicated. For this reason, at the international level, publishers, journalists' associations and the media are concerned about mitigating the problem through a series of legal and ethical provisions. In our country this problem seems so natural in the professional field of communications, it constitutes one of the most common frauds, which are deontologically recognized. Despite this recognition by journalists, on a daily basis it is a problem that is not seriously discussed and a process of approach and solution is managed politically, culturally and legally. In an incipient and fragile democracy like ours, effective legal mechanisms that guarantee a regime responsible for copyright, especially the rights of journalists, have not yet been established. The existing laws that promote and protect copyrights only refer to other professional areas such as architecture, plastic arts, literature and industrial and commercial products. They do not apply in the field of journalism. Recognized copyrights are characterized by their generality. It does not specifically cover journalistic activity, that is, it does not cover the legal rights and duties in the use of information or data and financial compensation for the rights to publish information by other national or foreign media.

In order to contribute to the construction of a more solid professional practice, in this essay a series of recommendations are proposed in the order of the media's information policy, in the national legal order and in the technical order in the routine of production of the news, aimed at the search for consensual solutions.