WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is outraged by the treatment of Univision team members by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Lo que pasó durante las más de dos horas en las que @jorgeramosnews y su equipo fueron retenidos en #Venezuela por Maduro. https://t.co/oxuJene13k
— Univision Noticias (@UniNoticias) February 26, 2019
The news team, led by correspondent Jorge Ramos was detained earlier this evening in Caracas, Venezuela and interrogated separately after beginning an interview with the country’s current leader, and asking questions the president greatly disliked. Although the team members have since been released, their equipment and recordings were confiscated. NAHJ demands that all be returned immediately, completely untampered with and with no damage to property.
In addition to President Maduro’s complete disregard for press freedom, this is another display of a current trend by his administration to only protect those who are willing to spread lies and the propaganda of government officials.
Jorge Ramos is a respected journalist who has faced not one, but multiple physical hurdles placed in front of him by various governments. NAHJ applauds his courage and his commitment to the public in the pursuit of truth. It is critical to understand that today’s treatment of the Univision team has become a standard for local reporters on the ground in Venezuela and cannot continue to be tolerated. NAHJ is committed to further investigating the situation and working with organizations to ensure the safety of our colleagues and their right to inform the public and their communities.
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About NAHJ The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in the newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in news media. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. NAHJ has approximately 2,300 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals and journalism educators. For more information please visit NAHJ.org or follow on Twitter @NAHJ.
