On Wednesday, the Association of Foreign Press of Peru (APEP) condemned a campaign of harassment and defamation against some of its members during the second round of elections.
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The electoral polarization fostered by right-wing parties has created adverse working conditions for international correspondents. APEP pointed out that impartial information became a motive for intolerance towards journalists.
Regarding these smear campaigns, the organization highlighted the cases of Jacqueline Fowks and Paola Ugaz, two reporters who are being harassed through social networks.
Keiko Fujimori's sympathizers criticize the electoral coverage of these journalists, whom they accuse of having a bias in favor of the winning candidate Pedro Castillo and not backing the right-wing’s allegations of fraud.
The APEP stressed that the work of the correspondents does not imply taking sides in favor of political forces, passively reproduce their speech, or avoid questioning what is happening.
The organization recalled that the journalist's mission is to offer verified, timely, and truthful information.
On Tuesday, the National Jury of Elections (JNE) finished counting the votes cast on June 6. Leftist professor Castillo received 8,835,579 votes and far-right politician Keiko Fujimori got 8,791,521 votes. However, JNE has not yet officially proclaimed who is the president-elect.