No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCosta RicaPresident Rodrigo Chaves attacked Costa Rican media 

President Rodrigo Chaves attacked Costa Rican media 

The President of Costa Rica labeled several media outlets as ‘political hit men’ after reporting that the Minister of Health hired a social media troll.

Chaves’ attacks were specifically directed at journalists from La Nación, Crhoy, and Teletica.

Weeks ago, Alberto Jesús Vargas Zúñiga, owner of the fake account “Piero Calandrelli,” told the newspaper La Nación that Minister Chacón had been paying him for months to attack journalists on social media. They were aimed at those who criticized Minister Josely Chacón.

In an interview with Semanario Universidad, Vargas assured that his first contact with the ruling party was held during last year’s presidential campaign when he received a phone call from the current congresswoman Pilar Cisneros Gallo, who asked him to collaborate with the candidacy of President Chaves Robles.

Vargas revealed that he was not acting alone and that there is a network of social media accounts that work for the Government and that are coordinated by the public relations expert and evangelical pastor Robert Junior, who is the link between the administration and several people who post on Facebook and TikTok.

Cisneros denied the connection but, according to Vargas, in April of last year and after winning the elections, Chacón (who was Chaves’ campaign manager at the time) offered him the “job.”

During Monday’s press conference, both Chaves and his minister insisted that the payments were made as ‘charity,’ contradicting the initial statements in which they mentioned that the disbursements were for the troll’s participation in a health campaign that would be defrayed with personal resources by the chief of staff herself.

During the press conference, President Rodrigo Chaves accused the media of having a joint campaign with the political parties Liberación Nacional and Frente Amplio to attack the Minister of Health.

Reactions to these statements were immediate. The President of the Association of Journalists (Colper), Yanancy Noguera, described the words of the Costa Rican President, Rodrigo Chaves as “unacceptable and shameful.”

Noguera said that “Costa Rica does not deserve what happened… The President had already treated the press as animals; now he says they are murderers. This is very serious.”

The congressman of the Frente Amplio Party and member of the Financing Investigation Commission, Ariel Robles, deplored the actions of the President.

“His anger and his arrogance are evident, which worries us enormously. Those are not the tones in which we must deal with conflicts; we at Frente Amplio have said it several times,” said Robles.

On the other hand, Eli Feinzaig, legislator of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), also expressed his anger towards Chaves’ words.

“The real discussion we are having, the underlying issue behind this, is freedom of expression and freedom of the press; this is what we are talking about because what we observed yesterday (Monday) and what we heard yesterday is an unpunished attack on freedom of expression in this country,” he added.

For the moment, The Attorney General’s Office confirmed the opening of a file in which the Minister of Health, Joselyn Chacón, is being investigated for the case related to the alleged payments to the troll Piero Calandrelli.

Trending Now

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Costa Rica Surpasses 500 Homicides as Gang Violence Escalates

Costa Rica has officially surpassed 500 homicides so far this year, according to figures released Monday by the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ). As of...

Honduras Reinstates Mask Mandate Amid Rise in Respiratory Illnesses

Honduran health officials have reinstated a nationwide mask mandate following a spike in respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, flu, and a fast-spreading Omicron subvariant known...

Costa Rica Tops Latin America in Attracting Foreign Millionaires

Costa Rica is a country that attracts millionaires. Projections indicate that by the end of 2025, a total of 350 foreign millionaires will have...

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly Vacation in Costa Rica with Baby

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly touched down in Costa Rica for a family getaway with their three-month-old daughter, Saga Blade Fox-Baker. Photographers caught...

Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano Park Reopening to Tourists With Safety Measures

The Poás Volcano National Park will reopen its doors to tourism starting July 30, after  scientific entities reported a decrease in volcanic activity. This was...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica