By Ingrid Bachmann
Carmen María de Finol, a reporter for La Mañana newspaper, says she and photographer Yunior Lugo have received anonymous phone calls threatening to take legal action against them. The calls came after the two had reported the burning of tons of expired food that the government had purchased abroad to distribute to the poor, El Nacional and Europa Press report.
The National Press Workers Union and the Photojournalists Circle of Venezuela condemned the harassment, which has mostly affected Lugo, El Universal adds. The unions say that official spokespersons linked to the regional government have warned that they will take Lugo to court, accusing him of participating in a setup.
Both organizations also expressed regret that government employees have threatened "press workers who are only doing their jobs."
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
