This week in South America, the controversial owner of a national TV channel has decided to step aside after doing a deal with his President that means he won't be called in for the multimillion dollar debt he's leaving behind. In return the TV channel has been taken over by the state and will be run by a branch of the Ministry of the Economy. Meanwhile the President has picked the new head of the channel and the whole of the editorial staff has been sacked, almost certainly to be replaced by pro-government lackeys.
The thing is, you probably haven't heard a single thing about this usurping of power because it didn't happen in Venezuela, Bolivia or Ecuador. Because the above events have all taken place in "friendly nation" Peru there's just no news value, is there? Ex-Pres Alejandro Toledo is always good for an anti-Twobreakfasts quote, and his "They want to take over the media" is only one step behind reality. Too late, they already have.
UPDATE: This morning, President Twobreakfasts lied to a press conference on the subject. He said that the gov't has no interest in taking charge of a television station. well good thing, too, as it's illegal for the Peru government to control a private media channel. But it doesn't answer why he decided to sack all the editorial team.
The thing is, you probably haven't heard a single thing about this usurping of power because it didn't happen in Venezuela, Bolivia or Ecuador. Because the above events have all taken place in "friendly nation" Peru there's just no news value, is there? Ex-Pres Alejandro Toledo is always good for an anti-Twobreakfasts quote, and his "They want to take over the media" is only one step behind reality. Too late, they already have.
UPDATE: This morning, President Twobreakfasts lied to a press conference on the subject. He said that the gov't has no interest in taking charge of a television station. well good thing, too, as it's illegal for the Peru government to control a private media channel. But it doesn't answer why he decided to sack all the editorial team.