Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, said he would continue confronting the press that he accuses of manipulating information on favor of business interests if voters re-elect him on Feb. 17, reported the website América Economía. "I will continue defending the truth, I will continue defending you all from that press that manipulates, that misinforms," Correa said in an interview in the province of Zamora Chinchipe, added the website.
Correa gave the answer in response to a question about how relations would be between the government and the press if he were to be re-elected, reported the website Confirmado. "This president will continue defending himself from the press's lies, defending the freedom of expression that exists in this country," the president told the website.
Ecuador's head of state said there was no lack of press freedom in the Andean country but affirmed that "there is a president who does not bow to the media, who doesn't lower his head, they can't stand that," reported the magazine People en Español. The president also alluded to a local newspaper article titled "Correa continues enjoying presidential privileges," which reported on the president's special police protection during the electoral campaign that formally begins on Tuesday, Jan. 15, reported the magazine. "If there were no freedom of expression, could they say these things?" Correa asked.
The president's relationship with the press has been strained since he took power in 2007. The conflict worsened in 2012 when the president won a lawsuit against the newspaper El Universo for libel. The court sentenced the publication to pay $40 million in damages and three years in prison for its directors. One of the president's most controversial policies is an executive order banning all public officials from giving interviews to private media.
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.
