Media
Colombia’s Rural Counterinsurgency Propaganda
Colombia’s rural regions are absolutely central to the state’s economic development model. Colombia’s four largest exports—illicit coca, and licit petroleum, coal and coffee—are all produced in rural areas. The economic importance of Colombia’s rural sector has meant that the countryside has been the frequent site of armed confrontation in the civil war. Much of the violence and most of the displacement in Colombia occurs in small rural towns and villages where the Colombian state has historically had a weak presence, if it was present at all, and where distrust of the central government in distant Bogotá runs deep. The underdevelopment of Colombia’s rural sector has necessitated that the state utilize a hands-on approach to propaganda in these areas. Read more»
Scared Into Silence
While the 56 journalists killed worldwide last year made 2004 the deadliest year for the press in the past decade, there were no reporters killed in Colombia, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. In fact, last year was the first year in more than a decade that no Colombian reporters were killed. However, the statistic, while welcome, was due more to the increased caution being practiced by journalists rather than an improvement in the country’s security situation. From a journalistic perspective, this is cause for concern because it appears to have resulted in a self-censorship that has rendered serious investigative journalism virtually non-existent and led to a distorted portrayal of Colombia’s conflict. Read more»
Unabashed Media Support for U.S. Drug War
A September 27 article by Juan Pablo Toro of the Associated Press titled “Colombia Police Aim to Disrupt Drug Trade” is yet another example of U.S. mainstream media functioning as a mouthpiece for U.S. foreign policy. Given most U.S. media outlets’ reliance on wire service reports for international news, the Associated Press is a primary provider of information to the U.S. public. This latest drug war article reads like a print commercial for U.S. counternarcotics operations in Colombia with Toro providing virtually no context or analysis to help the reader put the depicted events in perspective. Read more»
Newsworthy and Non-Newsworthy Massacres
On June 15, guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) massacred 34 coca farmers in Norte de Santander. The rebels woke the victims in the middle of the night, tied their hands and feet, and then executed them with automatic weapons. Most U.S. mainstream media outlets immediately broadcast the news of this brutal act. While the FARC were rightfully condemned in the media for this slaughter of civilians, coverage of two recent large-scale paramilitary massacres was virtually non-existent. Following a long established pattern, the mainstream media continues to emphasize human rights abuses by leftist guerrillas, while often ignoring those perpetrated by right-wing paramilitaries allied with the Colombian military. Read more»
Kidnapped in Arauca
Ruth Morris and I were on an assignment for the Los Angeles Times one year ago when the trouble started. On January 21, 2003, while traveling on the main highway between the towns of Saravena and Tame in Arauca department we came across a guerrilla checkpoint. A group of armed men approached the car and reached into the window for friendly handshakes as they identified themselves: “We are from the FARC’s 45th Front and the ELN’s Domingo Lain Front. Please get out of the car.” Read more»
Reporters Under Fire in Colombia
Forty years of civil war have taken a heavy toll on Colombia’s press corps. In the last decade alone, at least 30 journalists have lost their lives while attempting to carry out their work. All the warring factions in the conflict—leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitary forces, the Colombian Armed Forces and organized crime—have chosen to target journalists. In Bogotá and other cities, journalists are certainly targeted, but those working in the country’s interior often face the greatest risks. The absence of the state in vast areas of the country has left the media vulnerable to attacks from the illegal armed groups. Read more»
Media Imbalance Amid Escalated Violence
As U.S. Special Forces arrived in early January to train Colombian troops in the protection of oil pipelines, violence by both leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries soared. The first few days of 2003 were violent, with guerrillas branching out into a new form of attack—suicide car bombs—while paramilitaries continued their systematic executions [EDITOR'S NOTE: There is evidence that the guerrillas forced civilians to drive cars filled with explosives that were then detonated by remote control with the drivers still inside]. True to the usual one-sided coverage of the North American press, however, guerrilla-sponsored bombings have made headlines while dozens of paramilitary murders have gone virtually unnoticed. Additionally, the delivery of military aid has been reported on without accompanying contextual analysis. Read more»