article: In January, several major US newspapers took a swipe at him in separate editorials. "President Rafael Correa of Ecuador is leading a relentless campaign against free speech," said The New York Times. The Washington Post said the president ought to be known for "the most comprehensive and ruthless assault on free media under way in the Western Hemisphere". According to various international rights organisations, 2011 was a bad year for freedom of speech in Ecuador, and 2012 does not bode well. Following a change to the current electoral law, which comes into effect on 4 February, journalists will face restrictions when reporting on the forthcoming campaign for the 2013 presidential election. The new article prohibits media from "either directly or indirectly promoting any given candidate, proposal, options, electoral preferences or political thesis, through articles, specials or any other form of message". Several Ecuadorean journalists have said the new regulations amount to censorship. "It is clear that this is an affront to basic rights," said Ecuadorean media freedom organisation Fundamedios. But President Correa is adamant that the new legislation is vital. "Media cannot be political actors," he said during one of his weekly TV and radio broadcasts. "We have to put an end to the illegitimate, immoral political power that certain media have. All they do every day is a political campaign against the government." Mr Correa has not yet said whether he will run in the election, currently scheduled for January 2013. With approval ratings close to 80%, according to a polling firm favoured by the government, he seemingly has the largest support base among potential candidates. Mr Correa, who is popular in Ecuador thanks to his social programmes that support, among others, the poor and the disabled, has often said media are his "greatest enemy" and a major obstacle in implementing reforms. In Ecuador, private media have traditionally served the interests of their owners - powerful groups with strong economic interests. Mr Correa says those elites do not want wealth to be fairly distributed across the country. Under Mr Correa's leadership, the government has brought in laws to limit media concentration. In 2008 a number of media outlets, including two TV stations, were seized from bankers on the grounds of corruption. The government went from controlling only one radio station to running a large network of media, which have the obligation of broadcasting the president's weekly radio and TV shows. Although the growth of public media is important, the current landscape is far from balanced, according to investigative journalist Juan Carlos Calderon. "The president has decided to demonise private media, even if it is a legitimate activity, regulated by the constitution," Mr Calderon says. "The president has created this polarisation. We journalists are the meat in the sandwich." Mr Calderon is facing a libel trial following the 2010 publication of a book, Big Brother (El Gran Hermano), which detailed government contracts that benefited the president's older brother, Fabricio. President Correa, who denied knowledge of the contracts and had them cancelled when they came to light, filed a $10m (Â£6.4m) lawsuit against
summary: Rafael Correa has been Ecuador's president since 2007 but it is probably fair to say he has never had as much international attention as in recent weeks.