Depredador(a)

NGUYEN Phu Trong

Secretario General del Partido Comunista de Vietnam desde el 19 de enero de 2011

Depredador desde que llegó al poder

Vietnam, 175°/180 en la Clasificación Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa 2021

Dear [Name of Candidate],

I am writing to ask you what you plan to do to defend the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and the fundamental rights of journalists to practice their profession freely in what has become an increasingly hostile environment for information and news providers.

The United States, which enshrines press freedom in the First Amendment of its Constitution, is currently witnessing a drastic decline in media freedom. On June 28, one of the most horrific attacks on press freedom in the United States occurred when five employees, including four reporters, were killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which comprehensively documents press freedom violations in the US committed by national, state, and local authorities as well as private individuals, 33 journalists were arrested, 43 were physically attacked, and 15 seizures of journalists’ equipment occurred in 2017. In one of these incidents, Rep. Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a Guardian journalist the night before his state’s election. While covering the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, journalists were impersonated on social media, impeding their ability to accurately investigate the facts and disseminate information which could be vital to preventing a similar tragedy. This hostility towards the press not only risks compromising the American public’s right to be informed through journalists’ reporting, but can also degrade the public’s trust in the media itself.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics. Journalism is at the crux of our democracy, and communities everywhere rely on journalists to provide them with information that is essential to their daily decision-making processes. It was local investigative journalist Curt Guyette who broke the story about Flint, Michigan’s lack of access to clean water in 2014, prompting years of class-action lawsuits, protests, and subsequent federal assistance to the city in order to try to resolve the crisis. Reporters Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow publicized sexual assault allegations against influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leading to the ubiquitous and powerful #MeToo movement which brought decades of sexual abuse and harassment across multiple industries to light.

Yet freedom of the press in the US is currently in dire need of congressional support. It is our civic duty as one of the world’s leading democracies to uphold principles that support and protect the rights of journalists so that they may hold those in power accountable and ensure an informed and engaged community.

If you are elected, what do you plan to do to protect this utterly essential component of our democracy? What are your plans to protect the public’s right to be informed through a free and independent press?

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Hello, my name is _______ and I am from [city, state].

I’m calling to let you know that [candidate/representative]'s stance on freedom of the press is extremely important in my decision to vote. I feel that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics.

I have become increasingly concerned with the growing climate of hostility for journalists in this country, and I would like for [candidate/representative] to publicly address what they will do to defend press freedom if [he/she] is elected.

Thank you.

Freedom of the press is suffering in the US. @[yourcandidate] if you are elected to serve in Congress, what are your plans to protect journalists and our right to be informed? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

Democracy depends on a free and independent press and its ability to hold those in power accountable. [@yourcandidate] will you take measures to protect journalism and the First Amendment? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

In June, four reporters were murdered in an appalling targeted attack on the Capital Gazette and freedom of the press. [@yourcandidate] what will you do to address the growing threat to journalists in this country? #DefendPressFreedom

Press freedom is in steady decline in the US. I want my representative to defend the work of journalists as well as my right to be informed. [@yourcandidate] if you are elected what will you do to protect a free press? #DefendPressFreedom

Journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. And yet in the US, attacks on journalists are becoming more common, undermining the media's role and creating opportunities for government overreach, the erosion of press freedom, and impeding our right to be informed. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join me at DefendPressFreedom.com

A free press is essential to our democracy. Communities everywhere rely on journalists to report on our government’s actions and hold public figures accountable, providing us with the information we need to make decisions every day. And yet physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists in the US are increasing at an astonishing rate. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. You should too. Read more at DefendPressFreedom.com

Press freedom is declining in the US at an alarming rate. Physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists have increased drastically in the last two years. As the US midterm elections approach, we must remind our congressional candidates that journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. I’m contacting my representatives and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join in and help me spread the word at DefendPressFreedom.com

MÉTODO DE DEPREDACIÓN: la herencia totalitaria

Nguyen Phu Trong conoce bien la profesión de periodista, ya que la ejerció durante gran parte de su carrera. Al menos, la conoce según su acepción vietnamita. En un país que cuenta con miles de periódicos, revistas, canales de televisión y portales de noticias, solo hay un redactor jefe: el director del departamento central de propaganda del Partido Comunista de Vietnam (PCV), que recibe sus órdenes directamente del secretario general, Nguyen Phu Trong. Este último tiene el perfil del perfecto apparatchik (funcionario del "aparato"), que fue ascendiendo peldaños en el partido hasta ponerse a la cabeza de la Asamblea Nacional en 2006, y cinco años más tarde, a la cabeza del politburó. Pero el "camarada Nguyen" también se ha revelado como un formidable estratega que utiliza métodos maquiavélicos para imponer su línea conservadora dentro del Estado- Partido y reproducir la herencia totalitaria del PCV. De esta forma, las publicaciones especializadas, que tradicionalmente se hacían eco de los debates ideológicos y pragmáticos que existían en el seno del partido, fueron segadas de raíz a partir de la segunda legislatura de Nguyen Phu Trong, en 2016. Al mismo tiempo, este último ha puesto en marcha un sistema de represión absolutamente implacable para hacer frente al creciente poder de una sociedad civil que necesita información confiable, sobre todo en internet. Con este propósito, el jefe del PCV dispone de un aparato policial y judicial que se pone a sus órdenes y persigue a blogueros y periodistas independientes al amparo de artículos del Código Penal que sancionan, entre otros, a quienes se atrevan a “abusar de sus libertades democráticas”. Un programa de lo más completo.

OBJETIVOS PREDILECTOS: cualquiera que rechace la propaganda

Internet, un espacio privilegiado para la difusión de información independiente y opiniones que se desvían de la línea del partido, se ha convertido en el objetivo central de los ataques de Nguyen Phu Trong, y, especialmente, de la Fuerza 47, una unidad de trolls cibernéticos que está a sus órdenes. Las primeras víctimas son los blogueros y ciberdisidentes, que se incorporaron a la Red a principios de la década de 2010 y que desde 2016 han sido objeto de detenciones masivas y penas de prisión extremadamente duras. Hay más de 30 de ellos languideciendo en cárceles de todo el país en condiciones absolutamente infrahumanas. El poder de Nguyen Phu Trong también se dirige a los periodistas del país que, igual que él, se abrieron paso en la prensa oficial, pero que, a diferencia de él, ya no soportaban seguir escupiendo la propaganda del politburó y se comprometieron a trabajar para que se establezca una prensa libre. La oleada de detenciones que se desató en 2020 tenía como objetivos a varios de ellos, entre los que se cuenta Pham Doan Trang, ganadora del Premio RSF en 2019.

DISCURSO OFICIAL: ¡A por el pluralismo!

"Bajo mi mando, el comité central del Partido promete seguir combatiendo firmemente la expresión del pluralismo político". (26 de enero de 2021, ante el congreso del PCV).

Publié le 17.11.2016