Journalists resign after being pressured to stop criticising presidential candidate

3 May 2011
Journalists resign after being pressured to stop criticising presidential candidate

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 27 April 2011, journalists Federico Rosaldo, Jesús Coa and Jorge Álvarez chose to resign from their positions at the Líder radio station, rather than comply with an order issued by the station's owner, Santiago Ortiz. Ortiz had instructed the journalists to stop criticising presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori. The incident occurred in Arequipa, southern Peru.

The journalists co-presented a morning news program until, according to Coa, Ortiz phoned him to "order" them to stop referring negatively to Fujimori. The station owner said "he was in the process of negotiating an advertising contract with (Fujimori's) political group."

Rosado, the program's director, spoke with Ortiz on 26 April. He told IPYS that the station owner was firm in his position on the issue. As a result, Rosado and his team chose to resign, informing his listeners of his motives a day later.

IPYS notes that this is not the first incident of this kind at radio Líder. On previous occasions, the journalists were even informed, through notes posted on the broadcasting cabin's walls, which politicians advertised through the station, meaning that these officials could not be "ill-treated" in the news reports broadcast on the station.

http://www.ifex.org/peru/2011/05/03/radio_lider_journalists_resign/