CNN has been banned in Venezuela. This is according to CNN New Day executive producer, Javi Morgado:
Breaking news: @CNN has been taken off the air in Venezuela by the Maduro government as we cover violent clashes in Caracas. DirecTV, Net Uno, Intercable, and Telefónica all received orders from Venezuela’s government regulator Conatel to block CNN.
— Javi Morgado (@javimorgado) April 30, 2019
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CNNI’s Connect the World with Becky Anderson was airing when all of a sudden, the broadcast went dark. CNN was blocked after it showed a live feed of Venezuelan National Guard vehicles running over protesters of President Nicolás Maduro.
This all unfolded as violent clashes were taking place on Tuesday after opposition leader Juan Guaidó called on Venezuelans to protest against Maduro. President Trump and the U.S. government have expressed support for Guaidó’s efforts.
CNNI apparently wasn’t the only news outlet being banned from Venezuelan airwaves.
Venezuela press freedom group says Directv cut off access to BBC and CNN (in English) during their Venezuela coverage. CNN in Spanish was cut off months ago, says @NelaBalbi, director of @ipysvenezuela
— Frank Bajak (@fbajak) April 30, 2019
Maduro threatened to expel CNN en Español from the country back in 2014, and suspended the channel from airing on the nation’s airwaves back in February 2017 after it broadcast a report about fake passports that drew angry reactions from government officials, including Maduro.
CNN provided Venezuelans with access to its programming for free on YouTube after the suspension took hold.