Via zoom, the National Association of Journalists (CNP) held a forum to discuss various points of view on the reform that the Venezuelan Government intends to make to the Law on the Exercise of Journalism.
Néstor Garrido, secretary of Professional Improvement and Culture, began the forum by commenting on the lack of knowledge regarding the modification of the Law on the Practice of Journalism. “The admissions within the National Association of Journalists of a series of people they call popular communicators are striking, and that implies a deprofessionalization of the career,” he explained.
Garrido also stated that they are aware that there is a political objective on the part of the Executive and that is not wanting journalists to continue defending freedom of expression, understanding that it is one of the main functions of the CNP.
According to press statements offered by some members of the journalists’ platforms that requested the reform, Garrido assured that their intention is to “alter the law to incorporate a series of people who do not necessarily have professional training but do have political loyalty and that It would be important for them.”
In this regard, he recalled that the journalist is trained and educated to interpret reality and that within the intentions of the reform is a modification in the curriculum of the social communication career, alleging that all these transformations to the law would put the university career at risk. , to the students of the same and to the little freedom of expression that exists in the country.
The CNP speaks out
The president of the CNP, Tinedo Guía, also participated in the discussion forum, explaining what the union and the school represent. He mentioned some articles that refer to the functions of the journalist, their rights and their professional work that must be respected by law.
“The CNP is not just a structure where the sectional boards of directors meet or where the National Board of Directors or the Journalist’s Institute for Social Prevention meet. The CNP is in the heart and in the professional spirit of each one of its members”, stated Tinedo.
He also stated that the association is what each journalist represents in the place where information is to be covered and that, until now, there are approximately 25,800 union members registered in this collegiate body of journalistic significance.
The president of the CNP also maintained that the law has a spirit, purpose and reason. “The spirit of the law is to seek respect for professional work. The purpose is that this law be respected and complied with by the authorities and fellow journalists, and the reason for existing is the ethical process of information, the moral commitment to truthfully and timely informing a community”, he ratified.
Tinedo concluded his participation by recalling that article 8 of the Law on the Exercise of Journalism protects the journalist from not testifying, or saying who provided the information. “That article 8 would be questionable. If it is a matter of eliminating professionalization, if any popular communicator can make use of journalistic work, what reason for the existence of schools of social communication? ”, He indicated.
At the end of the presentations, there was a round of questions and answers. University professors and journalists from several states of the country participated, who expressed their points of view on this possible reform in the law. Some made recommendations to the CNP to start acting from its possibilities and demonstrate to the State a strengthening as a public law corporation.
