Miami (September 3, 2010)—The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today expressed surprise at American politician Jeff Greene’s suit filed against two Florida newspapers claiming their reports libeled him during recent campaigns for Democratic Party primary elections.
The libel suit cites The Miami Herald, Miami, and St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg for two reports concerning alleged wrongdoing in real estate transactions and on his private yacht.
Greene ran in recent primary elections to represent his party in the upcoming elections for the federal Senate. He alleges that he was defeated in the primaries because of the newspapers’ campaign to damage his reputation, publishing information which they were believed to know was false.
IAPA President Alejandro Aguirre stated, “This move by a former candidate is surprising because it is being done by someone who entered politics and should know the rules of the game – to understand that during electoral campaigns the role of the press is to scrutinize in detail the candidates so that the voters have information and can make their decisions.”
Aguirre, editor of the Miami, Florida, Spanish-language newspaper Diario Las Américas, added, “In cases like this what should always prevail is the right of people to be informed about matters of public interest and the duty of the media to report on public figures, guarantees enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This doesn’t mean that a citizen does not have the right to go to court when he feels that his reputation has been harmed.”
The IAPA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the defense and promotion of freedom of the press and of expression in the Americas. It is made up of more than 1,300 print publications from throughout the Western Hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida. For more information please go to http://www.sipiapa.org
