(FLIP/IFEX) – On 18 October 2006, in Sucre and Córdoba departments in northern Colombia, the broadcasting signal of Canal Institucional television channel was interrupted, just as a debate in the Congress about Congress members linked to paramilitary groups was beginning. The incidents occurred when the Polo Democrático – a centre-left party – was about to […]
(FLIP/IFEX) – On 18 October 2006, in Sucre and Córdoba departments in northern Colombia, the broadcasting signal of Canal Institucional television channel was interrupted, just as a debate in the Congress about Congress members linked to paramilitary groups was beginning.
The incidents occurred when the Polo Democrático – a centre-left party – was about to enter the debate about those politicians whose names appeared on a list of paramilitary collaborators found in the computer of paramilitary leader “Jorge 40”.
According to reports from journalists in the area at the time, in Córdoba department the regular broadcast signal of the national television network ceased as soon as Senator Gustavo Petro, of the Polo Democrático, began to speak. Only people with cable television – a small minority of Colombians – were therefore able to observe the debate.
In some areas of another northern department, Sucre, there were other transmission problems. The broadcast by Satelcaribe cable television operator of the debate was interrupted for several periods, until near the end of the debate, when the broadcast signal became normal again. One of the Sucre journalists consulted by FLIP said that Satelcaribe’s broadcast signal became normal again when Senator Álvaro García Romero – one of the Congress members reportedly tied to the paramilitary groups – began defending himself.
Simultaneously, the broadcasting signal through Direct TV satellite television also failed. There was no sound during the broadcast, and later the image disappeared. These problems only occurred with Canal Institucional, one of the public television channels. The other channels offered by Direct TV continued to function normally.
Córdoba and Sucre are two of the departments where the paramilitary groups exercise the strongest influence. Three politicians from Sucre are on the list of collaborators in “Jorge 40″‘s computer.
A journalist told FLIP that this is not the first time that there have been interruptions in the television broadcast signal when debates of this nature are on air. He states that in 2005 the same thing occurred during a debate in which Senator García was defending himself of other accusations, also concerning ties to paramilitary groups.
Gustavo Petro made similar complaints when he was a congressman. Those accusations led to an investigation of García Romero by the Supreme Court, now in progress.
However, Satelcaribe company manager Alberto Méndez told a local journalist that the broadcasting problems “have been happening for several weeks,” and are related to the weather.
FLIP tried to contact a Direct TV official to obtain an explanation of what had happened, but was unable to reach any of them through the station’s switchboard operators.
In a press release issued on 19 October, the National Television Commission (Comisión Nacional de Televisión, CNTV) stated that it has requested an explanation of the incidents from the operator of the national public network, Radio Televisión Nacional de Colombia, RTVC.
“If any irregularity is proven, the appropriate investigation will be initiated, and if necessary, the rebroadcast of the debate will be ordered,” CNTV director Jorge Figueroa Clausen said.
RTVC manager Eduardo Osorio stated that there was no technical problem, in terms of quality or coverage. He added that the network’s engineers had monitored the transmitting stations located in the two departments and found that Canal Institucional’s broadcast signal was on air. “Something different may have happened with the private cable television operators,” he added.
FLIP is concerned about the broadcasting failures during the debate in Congress, and hopes that the incidents will be investigated. It would be an aberration if political information of such transcendental importance, which also raises the specter of potential corruption, were to be hidden from the public. This would constitute not only an instance of control over content, but also a violation of citizens’ right to receive information.
