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DE RUEHQT #1124/01 1362201
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 162201Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7015
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 6655
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 2552
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAY 0595
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 1663
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 2331
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 001124 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/PPD: MDCONNORS, WHA/AND: JKEIL, DRL/AWH: 
JMUNOZ 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: TEN YEARS 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EC
SUBJECT: CORREA ESCALATES WAR AGAINST THE PRESS 
 
REF: QUITO 0565 
 
Classified By: PolOff James Cohen for reasons 1.4 (b)& (d). 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary: President Correa ramped up his war of words 
and legal battle with the press May 15 by once again 
referring to the media as "mediocre and incompetent".  While 
signing documents adding further charges of "insult" to his 
pending lawsuit against the daily newspaper La Hora, Correa 
vowed to fight "corruption in all of its forms", including 
the mass media.  End Summary. 
 
BACKGROUND:  "INTOLERABLE" AND "OFFICIAL VANDALISM" 
 
¶2.  (U)  President Correa escalated his war against the press 
in general and specifically against the national daily 
newspaper La Hora by adding to his already pending lawsuit 
against them, filed on May 5.  During a highly publicized 
press conference with Pichincha Fiscal (State Attorney 
General equivalent) Washington Pesantez, Correa held over his 
head, with Truman-like aplomb, a late April La Hora headline, 
"Correa Assaults the Junta Bancaria", referring to what La 
Hora perceives to be heavy-handedness on Correa's part 
towards the banking sector.  While this article is not at the 
center of the law-suit against La Hora, Correa used it as an 
example of the kind of "irresponsibility and falsehood" that 
he will not tolerate, suggesting the possibility of 
additional actions of this kind. 
 
¶3.  (U)  Observers trace the genesis of the continually 
escalating confrontation with the press to the Ecuadorian 
Newspaper Editor Association's (AEDEP) editorial entitled 
"Intolerable", which appeared several weeks ago, on the front 
page of eleven major Ecuadorian dailies -- an unprecedented 
example of coordinated press rebuke to a sitting president 
(reftel).  The editorial, which placed blame for the recent 
congressional impasse on all branches of the Ecuadorian 
government, was nonetheless critical of President Correa's 
unwillingness to intervene and stabilize the situation.  In 
the weeks following the editorial, Monica Chuji, Presidential 
Palace spokesperson, embarked on a series of spats with the 
media, most notably with La Hora, accusing them of 
inappropriately criticizing President Correa. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Soon after the demonstrations in front of Congress, 
on March 9, 2007 La Hora published an editorial "Official 
Vandalism" which criticized the raucous behavior 
"pro-government groups" during demonstrations in front of the 
congress and suggested that Correa did little to stop them. 
The Correa administration reacted with outrage and Chuji 
publicly called for an apology, which was never given.  A 
series of open letters between Chuji and the editors of La 
Hora were published, adding fuel to the fire.  Other major 
dailies throughout Ecuador supported La Hora in its ongoing 
battle with Chuji.  With La Hora willingly playing with the 
government in its game of brinkmanship,  Correa filed suit 
against La Hora on May 5.  Since the law-suit was filed, 
AEDEP has actively defended La Hora's right to publish the 
editorial in question, further irritating President Correa 
and his spokespeople. 
 
OTHER MEDIA CONCERNS 
 
¶5.  (C)  The back and forth between the Correa Administration 
and the media is being played out in a somewhat tense 
environment for media organizations.  The government has 
publicly confirmed that it is in the early stages of 
developing state-owned and run national television and radio 
stations and one or more newspaper outlets.  While details of 
the formats and management of these outlets are still 
unclear, many agree that the move will involve the 
"reallocation" of television or radio frequencies.  Many in 
the media are also consumed with rumors that the government 
may be interested in taking over the nation's oldest 
newspaper, (Guayaquil's "Telegrafo.")  Correa has also 
singled out various outlets and even specific journalists for 
harsh criticism in recent weeks during his long and rambling 
Saturday radio addresses.  It has also been noted in 
journalistic circles that La Hora's director, Francisco 
Vivanco, was Sub-Minister of Government in the administration 
of President Leon Fabres Cordero, whose center-right PSC 
party does not support President Correa.  PSC deputies were 
amongst the 57 dismissed by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on 
March 8. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶6.  (C)  In January 2007, during embassy-sponsored workshops 
on freedom of the press, embassy contacts in the media noted 
that candidate Correa had not threatened "direct action" 
against the media and that they hoped that trend would 
continue.  Correa's law suit against La Hora, his criticism 
of AEDEP's support for the law-suit, and his constant 
anti-press rhetoric (referring to the media owners as 
"corrupt mafiosos"), represent a disturbing new pattern.  No 
doubt emboldened by high approval ratings, Correa is 
determined to prevent the media from tarnishing him or his 
agenda in any way.  Embassy contacts in the media fear that 
his intimidation tactics may result, at a minimum, in 
self-censorship on the part of the press.  It is too early to 
tell if the free and robust press Ecuador currently enjoys is 
in jeopardy, but the situation requires diligent monitoring. 
Various press and civil society organizations have expressed 
concern that relatively archaic "insult laws" still remain on 
the Ecuadorian books.  Correa does run the risk of having an 
antagonized and bullied press turn on him if, as was the case 
with so many of his predecessors, his political fortunes 
sour.  But for now, he is clearly willing to take that risk 
and run with it. 
JEWELL