The statements made by the head of the U.S. Southern Command were described as a threat to freedom of expression by the Venezuelan Vice President for Communication, Culture and Tourism, Freddy Ñañez. | Photo: teleSUR

Caracas, October 14 (RHC)-- The president of the news multiplatform teleSUR, journalist Patricia Villegas, has rejected the statements made by the head of the U.S. Southern Command, Laura Richardson, against the media.

Through the social network X (formerly Twitter), Villegas shared a video in which, two days ago, Richardson questioned the informative work of teleSUR, as well as of the media Sputnik and RT, by commenting that they allegedly "do not practice journalism of justification or verification, spread disinformation and undermine democracies throughout the hemisphere."

"Mrs. Richardson qualifies what does not correspond to her and openly shows her position on media outlets, which in the case of teleSuR, have an agenda that will never depend on her office," Villegas expressed.  She also emphasized that "no attempt to discredit us will keep teleSUR away from the path and commitment to the construction of a region that has become a large homeland, with a world with a privileged space for the SOUTH. This world that is born is plural, with a symphony of voices.  We are working on it, without rest or pause."

Expressing her support for teleSUR, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez affirmed that the multi-media is the voice of the peoples who oppose the war machinery directed from the hegemonic centers of power. 

She pointed out that "the media is a defender of the truth where the de facto powers of the military, communications and financial industries are plotting to attack humanity."

For his part, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil also made a statement on the X social network to denounce Richardson's threats against the multimedia.  "Direct threats to teleSUR from the head of the Southern Command, Laura Richardson.  They are trying to intimidate the free information of the people.  It is simply unacceptable," said the Venezuelan foreign minister.

In another message from X, the Venezuelan top diplomat warned that the U.S. intends to threaten and intimidate the media that oppose its impositions through its spokespersons and military institutions.  Yvan Gil warned that Latin America must remain attentive to irresponsible statements such as the one made by the head of the U.S. Southern Command that threaten the peace and stability of the region.

Freddy Ñañez, Venezuela's Vice President for Communications, Culture and Tourism, also stated that Richardson's statements are false and represent a threat to freedom of expression.  "The U.S. controls the great communicational monopolies, including the planet's internet, and almost all the RRSS. It uses this power to destabilize those who do not kneel to it. From Venezuela we reject these threats by exercising the right to inform truthfully and freely", he said.

Dominican political analyst Juan Carlos Espinal also expressed his solidarity with TeleSUR, pointing out that the multi-media is consolidating its position in the market of more than 600 million Spanish-speakers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Venezuelan Ambassador to Bolivia, Cesar Trompiz, condemned the statements made by the head of the U.S. Southern Command against TeleSUR and expressed his support to the workers and audience of the channel.

Trompiz affirmed in his message through the X network Twitter that the multimedia maintains a struggle "against the imperialist hegemony of information".

Another of the world's intellectuals who expressed his support and solidarity to TeleSUR was the sociologist and communicator, specialized in International Studies, Anibal Garzón.

Cuban congressman and president of Casa de las Américas, Abel Prieto also raised his voice to express his support to the multimedia.

According to Somos Polémicas, the threats against teleSUR by the head of the U.S. Southern Command confirm the need for a channel or media to break the information hegemony of the U.S. media in the region.  The director of Misión Verdad, analyst Gustavo Borges Revilla, stated that "with this confession by Richardson, the directed, veiled and systematic aggression against TeleSUR from the U.S. is reconfirmed."

Through the social network X, Ison Verdad stated that Richardson's statement "attempts to discredit a media that for years has dismantled matrixes imposed by U.S. media transnationals" in the region.

Expressing her support to TeleSUR, political scientist Arantxa Tirado invited to listen to the statements made by the US military officer, Laura Richardson, against the media that oppose the hegemonic line and vision of the US media. "For the U.S. they are enemies, it is clear".

The sociologist and communicator Irene León commented that "after pretending that Latin American natural resources belong to her country, the US commander Richardson pretends to give us lessons in journalism and to define democracy for this region which is not hers."

Likewise, analyst María Fernanda Barreto commented that the declarations of the head of the Southern Command are "proof of the importance of counter-hegemonic communication that sometimes we do not see.

On the other hand, Argentinean sociologist and political scientist Atilio Borón said that "General Richardson, head of the Southern Command, is upset that there are 31 million followers of telesur, RT and Sputnik, which disseminate false information and undermine democracies."