Threat to press freedom

C

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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DR1 News has been following this story:
PC supports Ortega's appeal
Civil society group Citizen Participation (PC) has expressed its support for the appeals process filed on behalf of journalist Alicia Ortega against intimidation by Dominican Agrarian Institute (IAD) director Hector Rodriguez Pimentel targeting the journalist and her advertisers. The civic group says it rejects all kinds of attempts to throttle freedom of expression and thought.
PC coordinator Santiago Sosa said that he thought it was absurd that Hector Rodriguez Pimentel would use legal means to intimidate a group of companies that have no responsibility for the contents of "El Informe con Alicia Ortega", an investigative television program.
They called on President Leonel Fernandez and the competent agencies to apply the proper sanctions in order to prevent this sort of thing for recurring in future.
Click to expand...

It's also made it to the international press, with a brief mention in this blog on press freedom from UK paper The Guardian :
Roy Greenslade: Dominican TV advertisers pressured to withdraw ads | Media | guardian.co.uk

Look at the comments under the news report in Hoy!
Funcionario oficial intimida anunciantes de Alicia Ortega - Hoy Digital

Seems pretty unanimous - but will RP get away with it? The consensus seems to be that "se cag? fuera del caj?n" - a colourful Dominican expression that means ~he put his foot in it.
 
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V

Vacara

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Anyone who read Spanish would find this book fascinating.


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J

JFD

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Well, this is pretty simple. The journalist you can't buy, try to cut their business. The government have litterally hundreds of "journalists" on the payroll, but some like Alicia Ortega won't take their money. It's a desperate move from Rodr?guez Pimentel because he got himself into BIG troubles with a land issue.
He took back the threat on friday and saturday, but i think the judicial process will go on anyway wednesday morning.
Alicia has a very incisive team of lawyers.
 
L

Lambada

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From today's DR1 News, just so we have it on record on this thread:

Media backs Alicia Ortega
Leading Dominican journalists and media executives are backing Alicia Ortega in her response to the legal actions taken by Dominican Agrarian Institute (IAD) director Hector Rodriguez Pimentel. Journalists Miguel Guerrero, Juan Bolivar Diaz, Nuria Piera, Ana Mitila Lora, Teo Veras, Ramon Colombo, Luis Chavez, Maria Isabel Soldevila, Rafael Molina Morillo, Bienvenido Alvarez Vega, Radhames Gomez Pepin and others have voiced their support for their colleague Alicia Ortega and said they would be accompanying her at 9am at the Civil and Commercial Chamber of the National District on Wednesday, 23 June where she placed an appeal for legal protection to put a stop to the legal intimidation exercised by Rodriguez Pimentel. The government official contacted advertisers on her program advising them to stop sponsoring her shows.
More than 80 leading journalists said that if the initiative moves ahead it would set an ominous precedent that could be repeated by any other government official who feels his work is being questioned by the media, forcing self-censorship.
Alicia Ortega has presented investigative reports with proof of major overvaluation when the official directed the Institute of Hydraulic Resources. Despite the reports focusing on Rodriguez Pimentel's work in government, the Presidency has distanced itself from the case, responding by saying that this matter was a personal issue affecting the government official.
On Friday, Rodriguez Pimentel revoked the inclusion of Alicia Ortega's El Informe investigative journalism program advertisers in his legal intimidation notice. Nevertheless, he said he reserves the right to go to court if he is defamed again.
 
M

mountainannie

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The concept of a free press is a new notion here. Journalists were regularly murdered under Balaguer...so from an historical perspective, it is great that there is a calling out in the press on this...

I am always astonished at how Santo Domingo.. with only three million people.. and a low literacy rate... can support 5 papers!! Not to mention all the talking heads on TV and radio... I think NYC only has three, right?

And Clave is the best of the best,
IMHO
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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El Dia, El Caribe, Listin Diario, Diario Libre, El Nuevo Diario, El Nacional and Hoy. Clave is a weekly, but a good one for sure.

Adverts and platforms. Each paper represents a slant, a position. Some are PLD, some are PRD, some are for Santiago and some are for "la capital" ..each paper serves the interest group that owns it. Corripio, Pellerano, Garcia & company, etc

HB
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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Very interesting... and they bring up the scandal (not!) that should have trashed Bautista Gomez from the Ministry of Health...
Do you ever wonder about the Pres' trips?? Who pays for what? Or does it all go on one big bill for the Dominican taxpayers???
Remember the stink when Michelle Obama went to Spain? Paying for her flight, her rooms and all her and her family expenses. The big complaint was the expense of providing security for the First Lady...hummm..who pays for Margarita's clothes? Travels?....uhh, I dunno??

Shish!

HB
 
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