The race for mayor of Medellín has taken an unexpected turn. Daniel Quintero resigned from his position as mayor of the city this Sunday, three months before the end of his term. The two main candidates for his successor have found a new enemy in the media. Former mayor Federico Gutiérrez, who is leading in all the polls, has decided not to take part in the debates organized by Telemedellín because, in his opinion, the city’s main public channel is “an extension of the social networks of those who govern badly today”. Juan Carlos Upegui, former mayor Daniel Quintero’s candidate and second in the polls, said El Colombiano, the main newspaper in Medellín, was “a torrent of misinformation.” The Foundation for Freedom of the Press (FLIP) says that those most affected by these battles are citizens who are losing their right to truthful information at a crucial moment for Medellín’s future.
For Jonathan Bock, director of FLIP, the dispute has a long history that makes a serious situation for democracy seem normal. “During the four years of Daniel Quintero’s term in office, the relationship that should exist between a president and the media has deteriorated,” Bock tells EL PAÍS. “Quintero pursued an aggressive and stigmatizing communications strategy against El Colombiano, which worsened each time the newspaper published something negative for his government.”
This line of confrontation was adopted by Upegui, Quintero’s former minister of nonviolence, who has repeatedly stated that the newspaper is following his candidacy. In an interview with EL PAÍS, the Independent Movement candidate reiterates that El Colombiano wants to turn voters against him: “They do it with lies and defamation. We do not see information equilibrium. It is clear that they are doing everything to damage our image and protect that of Federico Gutiérrez.” Luz María Sierra, director of the newspaper, told EL PAÍS: “It is not our job to enter into debates with a candidate . We do journalism. And our research speaks for us.”
The latest chapter in this fight revolves around El Colombiano’s complaints about Upegui’s girlfriend’s contracts with the current government. In an article entitled “Where does Juan Carlos Upegui get so much money for his election campaign?”, journalist Daniel Valero, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, explains that Andrea Vahos, the candidate’s partner, “works in the communications office of the Undersecretariat of Education.” Planning of the Ministry of Education. Upegui and Vahaos have stated that this information is false. “They said my girlfriend worked in administration and that turned out to be a lie. “She worked at the end of last year to be able to participate in the candidacy without a conflict of interest,” Upegui told EL PAÍS. The newspaper states that the candidate has not filed an official request for correction.
Jonathan Bock insists that when there is a disagreement between a citizen or politician and a media outlet because the former believes that some of the information published is not true, rectification should be resorted to, rather than coordinated attacks on social networks. “This is the mechanism that the Constitutional Court recommended. But in this specific case there was no official request, it is just rumors on social networks,” he explains.
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According to a FLIP statement, after Upegui and Vahos published stigmatizing news against El Colombiano, journalist Daniel Rivera reported that he received more than a hundred comments per day on his social networks in which they insulted him and discredited his work and the medium where he works.” According to FLIP, “these accusations against El Colombiano on the networks are an articulated strategy to create doubts among citizens and misinform during the election season on relevant issues, such as the sources of funding for political campaigns.” Bock demands that the media strengthen their verification mechanisms and publicly correct false information and accept the consequences.
On the other hand, the dispute between Federico Gutiérrez’s election campaign and Telemedellín also reached a serious level of aggressiveness. The first shock occurred on August 20, when the broadcaster – which relies on the incumbent mayor – organized a debate for mayoral candidates, but Gutiérrez did not attend. In a statement he thanked us for the invitation and explained his determination. “Telemedellín has been repeatedly used as a campaign platform for one of the mayoral candidates and there are no guarantees for my participation in this dialogue scenario.” The candidate accused the channel of pursuing electoral purposes: “We cannot talk about guarantees if Telemedellín leads to an expansion of the social Networks of an administration that has destroyed trust in our city.”
The dispute intensified on September 10, when Gutiérrez was again absent from a debate organized by the broadcaster. This time he said he wasn’t invited and found out about the event through an ad on social media. “Telemedellín organized a debate in favor of the candidates of those who steal from the city… I did not participate for obvious reasons. “Those who followed the debate realized that it was simply a trap.” Due to his repeated refusal to take part in the event, the channel’s audience does not know what is thinking about the man who, according to all polls, is the favorite for the event The office of the next mayor of Medellín is.
Jonathan Bock believes that Gutiérrez’s decision is serious because it violates the right of citizens to access information, and even more so in electoral conditions. “Telemedellín is the public broadcaster with an important audience in the city; It is the natural space to have these debates. Federico Gutiérrez’s argument is completely inadequate. “It suggests there may be other underlying strategies, such as not wanting to participate in debates because they have an advantage in the polls.”
According to Bock, Gutiérrez not only does not participate in the debates, but also uses the opportunity to stigmatize and question the media and Mayor Quintero. But he forgets that as mayor he used public media and resources to promote himself and his management. “It is the same thing that Quintero criticizes,” summarizes the NGO director.
Although it is particularly acute in Medellín, the problem does not persist in the capital of Antioquia. So far in 2023, FLIP has documented 36 cases of stigmatization of media and journalists, 27 of which were related to election reporting. “This strategy is repeated by some civil servants or those who want to enter the public service. “It consists of spreading stigmatizing messages against the press, exploiting the media for their own interests and promoting a narrative of misinformation that sows distrust in the media,” concludes Bock.
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