Venezuelan cardinal laments closing of newspapers

January 27, 2014

Cardinal Jorge Urosa of Caracas, Venezuela’s leading prelate, lamented the closure of several newspapers amid a national shortage of newsprint.

National Public Radio attributed the shortage to “government currency controls” and noted that “media outlets say that it's another form of harassment by a government that often doesn't like what independent media reports.”

“It is necessary that the country has channels of communication able to report what is happening, and Venezuelans should enjoy the right to be informed of what is happening in and out of the country,” said Cardinal Urosa, according to a Fides news agency report.

“The closure of a newspaper is something terrible,” he added. “We cannot sink into the darkness of misinformation, this problem must be solved as soon as possible.”

 

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Further information:

• For the Archbishop of Caracas: "the closure of a newspaper is something terrible! We cannot sink into the darkness of misinformation" (Fides)
• A Newsprint Shortage Hobbles Venezuelan Media (NPR)