MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cristina Fernandez censors television program; former CNN reporter privileged witness

Former cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez cut off when criticizing his former boss, Cristina

A former CNN in Spanish journalist Alberto Padilla was a privileged witness of censorship in Argentina, minutes before he was to be interviewed by a television channel in Buenos Aires: “the order to stop the program came directly from (Federal planning) minister De Vido”.

On Tuesday night a local journalist Marcelo Longobardi who has a face to face live interview program on political or hot issues, was taking replies from former cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez, critical of President Cristina Fernandez when the C5N airing was abruptly interrupted in the middle of a follow up question.

“It was a brutal act of censorship, I have fifteen years in this trade and I have never seen anything like it” said Mexican born Padilla who specializes in business news and is a former CNN presenter whose name and face are well acknowledged in Latinamerica.

On Wednesday morning the president of the Infobae Group, which includes channel C5N publicly apologized to journalist Longobardi and the former cabinet chief assuming full responsibility for the incident and the interruption of the program.

“I’m fully responsible for the incident. I admit my excess of formalism” said Haddad in reference to the original excuse which was that the program had gone past the full hour and it was time for the commercials.

However Padilla gave a different version: “I was the third guest of the program, after Alberto Fernandez and was ready with microphone and all”.

Suddenly one of the producers of Longobardi’s program signals to cut the show and have the commercials. “I guess Longobardi was wrapping up a phrase and did not cut bur rather continued, and two/three minutes later the show was off, music went on, even when Longobardi was still talking…”

Padilla also described what went on moments later: “Longonbardi stands up to talk to his production team, and then they approach me, since I was to follow and apologized and said the program had been put off”.

“Nobody knew why, they were all confused, evidently it was for something that was said on the air”, added Padilla, who then asked what was the motive for the cut.

“I asked specifically who gave the order and the production team said the order came directly from Minister De Vido”, said Padilla who later wrote in his twitter that removing Longobardi was a “direct order from President Cristina Fernandez”

“De Vido is not going to call a television studio unless he has strict orders from the President. The ultimate responsibility rests in the president of the country”, said Padilla during an interview with another channel on Wednesday.

Before the program was censored and taken from the air, the former cabinet minister was talking about the strong language the Argentine president used to refer to two journalists form Clarin and La Nacion during an official ceremony. She used the words “Nazi, Mengele and anti-Semitism”.

Immediately after the question and Fernandez reply, the program was off and followed by commercials.