Funferal

Troubled times for media in Bolivia

There’s been a lot of coverage of the constitutional debates in South America, both in the mainstream and alternative media. Something that hasn’t got a lot of coverage has been the tribulations of the various media, as they encounter intimidation and violence from supporters of all sides. A recent IFEX bulletin drew attention to an Quechua-language radio station that was shut down as a result of threats from the opponents of the national government in Bolivia. The bulletin includes various other examples of actions by both supporters and opponents of the constitutional proposals, which have threatened the operation and freedom of the media:

Dozens of journalists demonstrated in Sucre on 27 November, protesting acts of aggression by both police and militant groups. That day, Canal 13 television station, owned by the publicly-owned San Francisco Javier University, was fired upon.