By Ingrid Bachmann
The media has attacked the former presidential candidate for her multimillion dollar lawsuit (now withdrawn) against the government for the harm she suffered during her six-year stay as a FARC hostage, AFP reports.
“Shameful” is the headline attached to a photo of Betancourt on the main page of Semana magazine. Columnist Daniel Samper called her attitude “miserable” and said she was “ungrateful” for the government's efforts to rescue her. The Economist reports that on radio talk shows, blogs, and online forums Colombians have called her a “hypocrite” who should be sued by the government to pay the costs of the military operation that led to her rescue.
The press has been most skeptical of her claim that the state failed to protect her. El Espectador quotes a military officer who says it was Betancourt’s decision to go without an escort. El Tiempo columnist Mauricio Pombo said she ignored warnings and ended up kidnapped.
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.
