MORALES RENEWS VERBAL ATTACKS ON MAINSTREAM MEDIA

UNCLAS LA PAZ 000751

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON BL
SUBJECT: MORALES RENEWS VERBAL ATTACKS ON MAINSTREAM MEDIA



1. (SBU) President Morales renewed his attacks on the
mainstream media this week. First, he attacked leading daily
newspaper La Razon March 14 for errors in its reporting on a
decrease in hydrocarbons revenues and the GOB's loss of
Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) funds (septel). On March
13, La Razon published a front-page article stating that
hydrocarbons revenues for the month of February had plummeted
from USD $30 million to USD $4 million. Then, on March 14, La
Razon's page-one headline read "(Bolivia) Loses USD $600
million from the Millennium Challenge Account." The evening
of March 14, President Morales held a press conference in
which he waved an edition of La Razon and criticized the
newspaper for both stories, which he characterized as "lies
and misinformation." He said his administration has "never
lied, and never will lie," and then accused the paper of
discriminating against him and his government. Morales
sardonically stated that perhaps the Spanish-owned La Razon
should be "nationalized," implying that if it were a
Bolivian-owned newspaper that it would not continue with its
"lies upon lies."


2. (SBU) A couple of days later, during a March 15
anniversary celebration of Radio San Gabriel, a
pro-government station, Morales launched a verbal assault on
the Unitel network. (Note: Unitel is based in the opposition
stronghold department of Santa Cruz, is highly critical of
President Morales and his administration, and frequently
mixes editorialism into its reporting. End Note). The
president alleged that Unitel never ceases its attempts to
humiliate and defame his administration. Morales then
suggested that Unitel should consider imitating Radio San
Gabriel by acting as a voice of the people and not of the
"empire."


3. (SBU) On March 18, Morales responded in Santa Cruz to the
Interamerican Press Society's comments that there are
"worrying signs" that press freedoms are deteriorating in
Bolivia. Morales said accusations that he doesn't respect
the press are "false" and that not only is there freedom of
press in Bolivia, but also freedom to "discriminate,
marginalize, humiliate and accuse falsely."


4. (SBU) Comment: President Morales' attacks on the press
continue to build steam. Such attacks are inappropriate, and
are sometimes based on Morales' hypersensitivity over a
questionable story or headline, as was the case with La
Razon's MCC story. Professional journalists acknowledge that
problems regarding bias, ethics and a lack of training plague
the Bolivian press, but they have publicly urged the
president to file complaints with the press tribunal, a
self-regulatory body established by journalists, rather than
publicly assailing their profession. Morales' growing
frustration with the press, however, is not likely to be
assuaged by a formal complaint. He has cut all GOB
advertising with Unitel, and is probably further irritated by
the fact that despite such cuts, Unitel remains Bolivia's
most popular and lucrative TV station. End comment.
GOLDBERG