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GUATEMALA JOURNALISTS BLAST THEIR MEDIA--BY EMAIL.

Article Excerpt
Journalists in Guatemala have begun a hesitant drive to open the media to news coverage inconsistent with the economic and social interests of the people who own them. Lacking sufficient outlets for their assertions, and protections for their jobs, a group of reporters turned to email to express their concerns. They accused the major media--print, television, and radio--by name of having their reports "changed or ignored by editorial directors, especially those reports related to corruption on the part of present government officials."

The reporters said that, while they found doors closed to negative reports on the government of President Oscar Berger, stories highlighting malfeasance in the government of former President Alfonso Portillo were encouraged. It is widely known and reported that Portillo had taken on the private sector and its influence in public affairs with a vengeance. These concerns were largely supported by a recent report by the UN Development Program (UNDP), Democracia en America Latina.

The UNDP report noted, "Through the media, business owners concentrate even greater power, either through ownership or by imposing conditions by means of management of the publicity flows. This alliance grants them a major capacity to generate opinion, determine agendas, and influence the public image of officials, political parties, and institutions."

A list of particulars

The email cited thirteen examples of killed reportage, giving names and details. Among them:

- A recent change of interior minister was related to an illicit purchase of 80 police cars.

- The Ministry of Health has bought medicines from companies in...

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