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Description
His popularity sinking, Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya in May ordered the country's private broadcast media to devote 10 two-hour segments to airing government programs. "We find ourselves obligated to make this decision to counteract the misinformation of the news media about our 17 months in office," said Zelaya. Under the edict, all 500 radio stations and 100 television stations would be required to present the programming simultaneously between 10 p.m. and midnight for 10 days in a row to correct what Zelaya thought was a media bias against accurate reporting of his administration and its accomplishments.
Though he was immediately attacked in the media as a Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez clone, the order was apparently legal. The cadena, as the practice is called, is permitted by law. Although it is limited to seven minutes in duration, exceptions can be approved by the Comision Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CONATEL). Sinea Diaz, an assistant CONATEL commissioner, said the commission gave approval.
CONATEL's explanation was accepted only reluctantly. President of the legislature Roberto Micheletti said, "We are a democratic country, and we cannot interfere with... |
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