CODuring the presidential campaign, RTVC Noticias did not publish any critical reports about Iván Cepeda, the candidate of the Pacto Histórico backed by President Gustavo Petro. The report by La Silla Vacía reveals that RTVC, led by Hollman Morris, acted as a propaganda machine for the Petro government and Cepeda, the official candidate. By analyzing 788 articles published by RTVC during the election year and 25 TV broadcasts on Señal Colombia, the investigation found a highly biased coverage: positive towards Cepeda and negative towards opposition candidates like Abelardo De la Espriella and Paloma Valencia. In 77% of the stories mentioning Cepeda, RTVC merely repeated communications from the candidate, the campaign, or Petro, similar to how Semana magazine covered De la Espriella. The European Union’s Election Observation Mission had previously noted that RTVC’s coverage of opposing parties was limited and often negative. William Parra, director of RTVC Noticias, did not respond to La Silla Vacía’s inquiries. Additionally, despite Cepeda’s criticism of 'easy politics' involving 'unscrupulous dealings, image marketing, and cheap demagogy,' he never addressed the questionable role of
Bias read (Progressive): The article frames RTVC Noticias as a propaganda tool supporting the ruling party and its candidate, Iván Cepeda. It highlights the lack of critical coverage of Cepeda and the biased reporting against opposition figures. The emphasis on RTVC’s alignment with the government and the absence of balance
Why these scores (Factual 60 · Objective 50): The article discusses media bias during the campaign but lacks specific references to the primary source and presents a one-sided view of the situation.
