(PERIODISTAS/IFEX) – On 1 September 2003, PERIODISTAS released a document detailing a series of complaints by media workers in Córdoba province about intimidation, legal action, programme closures and pressure against them. These events are evidence of a move against freedom of expression by the provincial government. On 19 August, Alberto Beltrán learned from the morning […]
(PERIODISTAS/IFEX) – On 1 September 2003, PERIODISTAS released a document detailing a series of complaints by media workers in Córdoba province about intimidation, legal action, programme closures and pressure against them. These events are evidence of a move against freedom of expression by the provincial government.
On 19 August, Alberto Beltrán learned from the morning newspapers that he had been removed from his position at Canal 2 CBA television station. For nine years, Beltrán hosted the station’s news programme, which is broadcast daily from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (local time). According to a statement by the Press Union (Círculo Sindical de la Prensa), “This measure took place in the context of a strategy by the television station to ingratiate itself with [Governor] José Manuel de la Sota’s government.” In a conversation with PERIODISTAS, Alejandro Blaes, the station’s content manager, said that Beltrán was dismissed because station management believed he was “too critical to be leading the main news programme.”
In a separate incident, on 26 August, the Canal 2 CBA management ordered a documentary about misuse of slot machines in the province to be taken off the air. The report was being aired on the programme “Generación X”. The programme’s host, Lucas Balián, told PERIODISTAS that on 27 August, station managers criticised him and his colleagues for complaints they had made to media outlets about the incident and offered to resolve the situation if the journalists agreed to stop denouncing what had happened. The journalists did not accept the offer. Balián explained, “On 28 August, during another meeting, the station’s president said that the relationship between the station and the programme had been ruptured because our appearance in the press put forward a negative image of the company. The president proposed that the programme be aired one last time on 2 September, to say goodbye to the public and our sponsors, but we did not accept his offer.”
In August, the programme “Sociedad Anónima”, hosted by Tomás Méndez for Canal 10 television station, which is affiliated with Córdoba National University, was also shut down. In addition, on 18 February, journalist Jorge Martínez was removed from the same station’s “Crónica 10” news programme due to pressure from the provincial government. Martínez was rehired the next day following a strong reaction to this arbitrary action, which was condemned by PERIODISTAS (see IFEX alert of 21 February 2003).
PERIODISTAS also recalls that in 2002, Olga Ritourt, Governor de la Sota’s wife, launched a complaint against journalist Sergio Carreras and “La Voz del Interior” daily for 500,000 pesos (approx. US$170,000). The complaint was related to an investigation into Ritourt’s alleged entrance into Argentina from Chile with 50 million pesos (approx. US$17 million) in provincial bonds. The governor and his wife publicly discredited Carreras over the incident (see alerts of 1 April and 21 February 2003 and 13 August 2002).
The complaints received by PERIODISTAS point to the centralisation of information made available to the public, which hinders direct contact of media outlets with provincial government institutions. This centralisation is imposed by the Press Secretariat.
Given the gravity and frequency of the incidents, PERIODISTAS has decided to travel to Córdoba province to meet with officials, journalists, organisations and public figures in civil society to evaluate the freedom of expression situation in the province.
