CNN en Español presenter Carmen Aristegui said she "will not replace a comma" in the information she presented on her newscast, questioning Televisa's talk show host Laura Bozzo's usage of public resources to stage a show by venturing into the state of Guerrero to help out victims of the storm that hit the area last week, Latin Times published.
Yesterday, Bozzo claimed Aristegui attacked her personally and called her a "liar." "Let's talk about that the country wants, let's leave the lies behind, come I will invite you," Bozzo challenged the CNN presenter. "Something better, let's go to Coyuca de Benítez, publiclly I challenge you and let's see who will the public recognize, who do the people like, who is a symbol of hope for these people. You Carmen Aristegui or this modest server?," she continued.
"About the challenge that was brought upon me via Channel 2 [Televisa's main channel], the response is obviously a no ... it would be like leading up a morbid distraction in crucial moments. If the network wants a fight in these conditions, they will not have it. What is important is that in terms of public interest is evident, utilize public resources, putting them at the disposal for this morbid usage and undesirable for this society like what characterizes this proposal from the biggest television network in the country, that has degraded their communications offer," Aristegui said on her newscast on 52MX.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Aristegui claimed a witness named Eduardo Miranda saw Bozzo arriving on the scene. "The helicopter ascended only to come back down and have cameras capture her descent again," said Mr Miranda, according to information published by Latin Times.
Bozzo defended herself that very same day during her show. "You are a liar because I went to help, to rescue people, to take food to communities where nobody had gone, I summed myself to the rescue group because I have been a rescue worker all my life and I have worked with "Los Topos" in Peru, Chile and many other places. My film crew arrived in rafts, walking and in cars without any type of help. That I staged a show? That I made a circus? You Carmen Aristegui the expert in circus," she stated.
However, Aristegui reiterated what she had said before and also slammed Televisa. "It really hurts that [Televisa] has lost their level. We are betting on the information and the editorial comments of the information that we present. The usage of public resources in a state of emergency is absolutely inadmissible that is put for disposition for this unfortunate event, a montage to lie one more time to the people and the audience of that show ... with public resources that should have been at the disposition of the citizens and national emergency," she said.