Conatel to investigate Globovision for reporting on shortages and not mentioning the “Economic War”

The General Director of Conatel (media control agency) Pedro Maldonado said today that he is opening a new “administrative process” against the TV channel Globovision for exposing cases of shortages of products in its program “Caso de Investigacion.”

According to Maldonado: “presumably [Globovisión] could be disseminating through this program elements that could generate anxiety [zozobra] among citizens, by covering issues such as scarcity of vehicles and products at a national level.”

“Caso de Investigación” will not be canceled for the time being, pending the revision of its content by Conatel.

What makes this news interesting for this blog is the reason Maldonado gave for starting an investigation on the program: “It is public knowledge that at this time an economic war by some sector is under development.” Apparently Globovision failed to mention the “true” reasons for shortages, thus producing anxiety among the population.

Maldonado’s declarations follow President Maduro’s petition to the Fiscal General to investigate the “psychological warfare” by the private media against the country: “I ask the Fiscal General de la República, Dra. Luisa Ortega Díaz to, according to our laws, evaluate special measures (…) to punish the psychological warfare of the press, the television, and the radio, against the food security of our people and against the economic life of the nation. There must be no impunity. (…) This type of warfare is something not allowed in the so called developed countries. You go and look if in the United States the Washington Post or the NY Times start to publish headlines such as 'there will be no more potatoes,' or 'there will be no more meat,' they would be closed within 24 hours because that is war propaganda,” said Maduro on Saturday.