June 26, 2006
No action has been ever taken against the media

(El Universal) - "National Assembly (AN) Speaker Nicolás Maduro jumped in defense of freedom of expression that in his view exists under the Government of President Hugo Chávez.

On the occasion of the Journalists' Day on June 27th, the official emphasized that the Government never took action against the work of the media and reporters.

'The State under President Hugo Chávez has never chased a journalist, censored a show, closed a TV channel.' Today, he claimed, Venezuela has the widest freedom of expression as ever before.

Media owners were the target of harsh criticism. The deputy put the blame on them for keeping a 'media dictatorship in order to impose their truth' on the Venezuelan society and working in their own interest. 'The media have biased journalism in Venezuela ,' he lamented".