Journalist Janeth Hinostroza was verbally attacked by government supporters in New York City, where she was being presented an award by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
On Tuesday, November 26, 2013, journalist Janeth Hinostroza was verbally attacked by government supporters outside the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, where she was being presented an award by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
A state newspaper, El Ciudadano, reported on the matter, showing a video with insulting banners and signs directed at the journalist that called her “traitor”, “liar”, and “shameless”.
The voiceover in the video indicated that the Ecuadorian residents in that area “think she doesn’t deserve the awards, due to the unfounded accusations that Hinostroza has constantly made against President Rafael Correa”.
Afterwards, some interviews with government supporters in the U.S. were shown. They said that “it is shameful that the CPJ would give an award to a journalist who doesn’t deserve it, who is against her own country. She misinforms and uses cameras and microphones to disseminate false information”. “I don’t know how a journalist that sold herself, that sells her country out, that doesn’t have any work ethic (…) she is selling her country out, instead of seeing the good things our President does (…)”.
Finally, the video ended with the voiceover saying: “(…) what was supposed to be an award ceremony to praise journalistic work, turned out to be a public display of discontent by the Ecuadorian community towards a journalist that, in their view, is unethical”.
The insults that government supporters proffered were the same as those that the President has repeated during his weekly national broadcasts, where he has discredited journalist Hinostrosa in several occasions. Due to the attacks and threats she has received, she had to leave her interview segment on the private network Teleamazonas over a year ago.
