Venezuela's President Denies Role in Canceling TV Show Critical of Him
CARACAS, Venezuela—President Nicolás Maduro says he enjoyed the "bad jokes" of local comic Luis Chataing, who ridiculed everything from the leader's televised fall off a bicycle to the overtly patriotic names given to government ministries.
But Mr. Chataing's "Daily Show"-like satire on the Televen network was abruptly canceled Tuesday. The humorist said the private network forced him off the air under government pressure, a claim that drew a "no comment" from a Televen spokeswoman.
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"Every day, there are fewer places that tolerate criticism," said Carlos Correa, director of Public Space, a free speech advocacy group in Caracas. The group's studies show that only one in five news outlets here, including print and broadcast, carry voices critical of Mr. Maduro's administration.
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So on his TV show, Mr. Chataing then literally cut and pasted pieces of paper together to show how easy it is to doctor emails to accuse foes. "Fabricating evidence is quite easy, ladies and gentlemen," Mr. Chataing said. He then held up what he said was needed: a cardboard slide, pictures of the people he wanted to incriminate and a marker.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/venezuelas-president-denies-involvement-in-canceling-tv-show-critical-of-him-1402698768
