According to the Globovisión journalist, only state-owned, and therefore pro-Chávez media, were permitted to attend the ceremony.
(IPYS-Venezuela/IFEX) – On 17 January 2012, a news crew from the Globovisión TV station, consisting of reporter Sasha Ackerman and cameraman William López, was denied access to the swearing-in of Venezuela’s Defense Minister, Henry Rangel Silva. The event was held at the Bolivarian Military Academy in Caracas.
Ackerman told IPYS-Venezuela they submitted all the necessary paperwork to the Ministry of Communication and Information in order to be granted access. However, upon arrival, they were told that “they were not listed” and therefore were not allowed to enter.
A cameraman for the state-run channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), who was not on the list, was allowed to enter. Similarly, a journalist from “El Tiempo” newspaper, who also was not on the list, was permitted as well. Only state-owned, and therefore pro-Chávez media, were allowed to attend the swearing-in ceremony, Ackerman said.
