A number of journalistic associations in Bolivia have protested against the creation of the documentary “El Cártel de la Mentira” (The Cartel of Lies), which was ordered by the Ministry of the President, led by Juan Ramón Quintana.
The documentary is directed at a group of journalists and media organizations that, according to Quintana, have an information policy that is manipulative and destabilizing to President Evo Morales’ government.
In a press release issued after it was confirmed that the documentary was being produced, the National Association of Journalists, as well as organizations from La Paz, Beni, Cochabamba, Potosí, Santa Cruz and Tarija, declared themselves to be in a “state of emergency.”
“Bolivian journalists denounce a new attempt of government intimidation against journalism in the country, and we declare ourselves to be in a state of emergency,” they wrote, according to Página Siete.
They also asked the government to “stop production of the documentary in order to halt aggression and disparagement against the sector,” Página Siete reported.
The journalists and media organizations identified by the government are newspaper El Deber, news site Página Siete, the media network Erbol, and Agencia de Noticias Fides (ANF), according to El Deber.
Also, the journalists’ association noted that “The Cartel of Lies” would be financed with public funding and that it has the objective of “making accusations and grievances against journalists with long and distinguished histories,” Página Siete reported.
The ANF communicated with Argentinian journalist Andrés Salari, who was hired by Quintana to produce the documentary, to inquire about the costs and goals of the production. However, Salari did not give them any answers to that respect, ANF said.
The news agency also was unable to obtain information regarding the costs of the documentary after contacting Daniela Otero, press officer of the Ministry of the Presidency, who also declined to give further statements.
According to ANF, opposition legislator Jimena Costa asked the government to reveal the sources of funding for the documentary on the grounds that, if produced, it would need to be financed with private resources of the Movimiento Al Socialismo (the political party founded by Evo Morales), and not with public funding from the State.
“They want to justify (the defeat of Feb. 21 in which voters denied Morales’ attempt to run for a fourth term) accusing social networks, journalists and even Minions (animated cartoons). This is not new, but they cannot do it with public resources. When I asked (...) the Minister of the Presidency Quintana, what the source of the funding of the documentary would be, there was no response,” the legislator said to radio Panamericana, according to ANF.
According to El Deber, Salari works at the pro-government channel Abya Yala, which was financed by the Iranian government, and hosts a program where he usually criticizes the media and journalists that are critical of pro-government political forces.
Some of the journalists identified by the government as being part of the “Cartel of Lies” have already been contacted by Salari to be interviewed for the documentary.
One of them is Raul Peñaranda, director of ANF, who has already accepted Salari’s request.
According to the site Enlaces Bolivia, Peñaranda said: “Salari has been in contact with me to tell me that the Ministry asked him to make the documentary and so he wants to interview me. And I agreed to do so, provided that my speech is not edited.”
Peñaranda told the Knight Center that he is still negotiating his participation with the Argentinian journalist, with the condition that his comments and rebuttals are not edited for the final version of the documentary.
At this point, Peñaranda is the only journalist that has been contacted by Salari who has agreed to participate in the documentary.
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.
