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One of the successes of President Iván Duque when the pandemic started was the way in which he began to communicate to citizens each of the measures that the National Government was taking. Day by day, at 6 in the afternoon, the head of state conducts the ‘Prevention and Action’ program, in which he explains, together with his government team and experts, the measures.
So far, the president has made more than 160 programs of this type, which also, at first, were broadcast live by the main media. With so many times on the air, Duque is the president who has appeared the most in daily public broadcasts in the recent history of the country, before he did it weekly with his Construjando País Workshops.
However, according to audience analysts and communication experts consulted by EL TIEMPO, President Duque’s television program is already beginning to show signs of wear and tear.
(See also: Duque’s forceful response to Mancuso’s assertions)
On March 24 – according to numbers released by RCN Radio based on figures from ‘Rating Colombia’ – the head of state had a rating of 17 points, while this Wednesday, November 24, he scored just five points. That is, the audience fell by two thirds.
As stated by Camilo Granada, high counselor for communications during the government of Juan Manuel Santos, although the space created by the National Government is a useful information tool, “Part of the novelty of the program is running out because there are few measures left to announce to the Government.”
“It has been not only excessive but abusive with the audiences to take that strip of prime that only has a propaganda intention. What you see is that there is a lack of leadership in the Executive and it has been replaced by histrionics, transmitting content that people do not see because they are already tired, ”Mario Morales, a television analyst and professor at the Javeriana University, told EL TIEMPO.
Likewise, the opposition considers that this program has become “politicking”, for which they asked not to continue carrying it out.
It’s not a presidential vanity show
“The President says absolutely nothing, neither technical nor scientific. It is an open political intervention, without ethics; it is a patrimonial detriment. That intervention must be suspended, and the opposition given the right to reply,” said the president of the community and current councilor for Bogotá, Álvaro Argote.
For his part, in the face of criticism, President Duque affirmed that this “is not a presidential vanity program.”
“It is not an entertainment program. This is an information program and we created it with a single idea: Give truthful information, explain the government’s measures, ”Duque said.
The Head of State pointed out that epidemiologists, infectologists, doctors, mayors, governors, presidents of other countries and members of international organizations have participated in the aforementioned space.
POLITICS
