President Petro Announces Funding for Alternative Media at National Communication Meeting

In a significant announcement during the National Meeting of Alternative, Community, and Digital Media 'Uniting Voices', held this Thursday in Armenia, President Gustavo Petro revealed that the National Government will implement the "law of thirds," aimed at allocating 33.3% of official advertising to alternative media. Addressing an audience composed of representatives from approximately 1,500 popular media outlets, Petro emphasized the need to empower alternative communication, stating that "to finance is to empower." According to the president, this approach will enable the Colombian people to have a stronger and more diverse voice in the media landscape. The proposed law of thirds consists of dividing official advertising into three parts: one third for social media outlets, another for traditional media, and the last for alternative media. "As long as we are in this Government, this directive will be applied," assured Petro, underscoring the importance of alternative media having access to funding. The president also defended the existence of traditional media, asserting that his administration will not close any media outlets, in contrast to previous actions taken by other governments. "We are not the ones who closed AM PM or those who bought El Espectador to subjugate it to economic power," he stated