***To read the full blog, please check out the complete post on NewsBusters***
For months now, the Central American country of Nicaragua has been in turmoil as anti-government protesters have been rising up and calling for President Daniel Ortega and his vice presidential wife to step down. The protests, sparked by slashes to social security, have been besieged by pro-government paramilitary forces and the national police resulting in the deaths of hundreds. As of Monday, CBS was the only network news outlet reporting on the chaos.
As anchor Jeff Glor led into the report on CBS Evening News, he noted that they had the only network news reporter in the country. He also warned that a possible civil war was on the horizon there and it could have dire consequences for the U.S. “New protests today are raising fears of a civil war in Nicaragua that could worsen the immigration crisis here in the U.S.,” he explained.
CBS correspondent Manuel Bojorquez was walking through a crowd of anti-government protesters as they shut down a major roadway in the capital city of Managua. Most of the people wore bandanas to protect their identity from the brutal regime.
“Take a look at this sign right here,” Bojorquez pointed out. “It says, ‘Nicaragua needs a president. I am armed, but only with strength and courage.’ The Ortega regime accuses the protesters of inciting violence, that has taken the lives of national police, who claim they were simply trying to restore the peace.”
Bojorquez shared cellphone video of a woman hiding as what could be assumed was the police fired on people. One of the most gut-wrenching attacks by pro-Ortega forces was a 15-hour-assault on a Catholic church. “It's believed paramilitary forces loyal to Ortega fired into a Catholic church earlier this month as 100 university students sought shelter,” he reported. Only two people were killed.
(...)
. patrick.goodenough
