Venezuela TV Faces Probe for Airing Pro-Strike Ads

www.voanews.com VOA News 21 Jan 2003, 19:14 UTC

Venezuela's government has told two private television stations they are under investigation and face possible fines for airing commercials in support of the long-running general strike.

Officials in President Hugo Chavez's government informed Globovision and Radio Caracas Television Monday of the decision to open the inquiry.

The two stations responded by condemning the inquiry as an attack on press freedom. The development comes three days after Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said the government was not considering shutting down the two media organizations.

President Chavez has long waged a bitter war of words against private local broadcast media and newspapers that have criticized his policies. He has accused media owners of being part of the opposition conspiring to overthrow his government.

Last September, two international media watchdog groups working in Venezuela said journalists there face a tough time because of verbal and physical attacks by supporters of President Chavez.

The Inter-American Press Association and International Press Institute gave that assessment, saying Venezuelan journalists are in danger of retaliation because they have been critical of the president's policies.

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AP.