The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has called on the Venezuelan government to end its defamation campaign against the newspaper Notitarde, IAPA announced on its website on Friday, May 18. According to IAPA, the campaign is a "a malicious discrediting maneuver" initiated by federal and state legislators of the ruling party.
The newspaper La Verdad reported that in the streets of Valencia, in Carabobo, posters and placards appeared accusing the newspaper of being financed by drug traffickers.
The conflict started with the accusation by the president of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, of the incumbent United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), that the newspaper was linked to members of the Makled family, which is on trial for drug trafficking charges, explained El Informador.
Tensions between the press and the government in Venezuela are nothing new, and have increased in recent months as the October presidential elections approach.
