Page 54 - Anatomy-of-a-Fraud

Some of the major provincial stations turned off their mikes on the opposition.
For instance, Vasco del Mar Huertas, a prominent Christian Democratic leader in the
Province of Herrera, had his show canceled with no explanation after the head of the
military region exerted pressure on the station.
As the campaign was winding down, opposition radio time took a sharp
plunge, as government pressure was relentlessly applied to major stations, their owners,
and announcers. It is fair to say that, by the end of the campaign, the opposition had
access to only 15 % of all radio programs.

The government also abused its resources in this area, particularly by using
Radio Nacional, a government-owned station, belonging to all Panamanians, to
conduct an unashamedly pro-Barletta campaign. This station broadcast two hours of
pro-government political commentary a day but only allowed opposition parties one
hour a week each, thus violating Articles 36 and 167 of the Electoral Code which
provide that government-managed mass media be used for political advertising
provided that all parties had equal access to them.

The announcer of one of the pro-Barletta programs of Radio Nacional used to
sign off with such expressions of hatred against the ADO second vice presidential
candidate –alluding even to the evil that would befall his minor children– that a group
of widely respected college professors, Ricardo Arias Calderón’s colleagues, deemed
it necessary to publicly protest these vicious attacks.

Evidently, Radio Nacional’s newscasts ignored legitimate ADO activities and
exaggerated –or lied outright– about those of the UNADE candidate. But nothing could
compare to the barefaced lies TV viewers had to put up with.

C. Television

UNADE had the full support of national television, as evidenced by its
newscasts, the refusal to air ADO commercials or to sell it airtime for political
programs and, finally, by the tone and contents of daily commentary shows.

News programs on Channel 2 and 4 included unusually long segments on the
speeches, the tours and even the most trivial activities of the candidates backed by the
barracks. Viewers were constantly bombarded with shots of Barletta attending
meetings; Barletta wearing a jacket, Barletta without a jacket; Barletta with a cap,
Barletta without a cap. And this during newscasts when it was sheer political
advertising. By the same token, ADO’s legitimate political activities were studiously
ignored. It appears Arias never existed. And when it was no longer possible to conceal
the fact that Arias was running for president, the moguls of state television decided to
lie openly.