On a day Venezuelan voters go to the polls to vote on changes to their constitution, a CNN spokesperson is responding to the threats leveled by the nation’s president against the network. The CNN statement also includes a response to a production error on the part of CNN En Espanol, an error President Hugo Chavez said amounts to an instigation of his murder.
We are observers, not political players. We are committed to continuing to cover the current situation in Venezuela in a fair and objective manner. For example, we’ve frequently offered live, extended coverage of President Chavez’s speeches and news conferences, even when he uses our air to voice his criticisms of CNN.
We work hard to avoid errors on our air but we are human and sometimes mistakes will happen, especially considering the dynamics of a 24-hour news channel. It is important to put things in context: we have aired thousands of stories about Venezuela since President Chavez assumed power and the number of errors has been minimal. And in the few instances of significant errors, we have aired corrections prominently and promptly, and apologized as appropriate.
AdvertisementWe reiterate our commitment to upholding the highest professional standards and presenting a balanced portrayal of events in Venezuela, even in the face of harsh criticism and baseless accusations.