Conatel opens case against Globovisión
Details
Juan Fernandez Gonzalez
| 31 January 2017

Venezuela’s telecom authority Conatel has initiated an administrative process against Globovisión, a move perceived as veiled censorship by the TV network’s journalists.

Following an inspection carried out in January, Conatel has announced it will open a case against Globovision to determine whether the network is complying with the social responsibility law for radio and TV.

The decision comes after Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, publicly accused the network of manipulating information through some of its news programmes.

For the country’s press union, the SNTP, Conatel’s decision is part of a censorship strategy, as the channel keeps interviewing spokespersons from the Government’s main opposition party.

Some of the channel’s journalists, led by Vladimir Villegas, who is also a politician, have also voiced their disagreement with Conatel’s actions.

“As a journalist and congressman, I reject the administrative process against Globovisión and condemn censorship,” said Villegas. “At Globovisión, we don’t encourage intolerance or violence. We always work according to the constitution.”

This is not the first time Globovisión and the Venezuelan Government have had issues and this has driven some journalist to quit.