Dissident Spotlight: Victor Herrero
Victor Herrero founded a news site in Chile and was sued for a story reporting on a police colonel's corruption allegations.
Victor Herrero founded his own media company in 2018. Within five years, he faced a lawsuit from a police colonel Herrero allegedly defamed in a story.
Accusations of defamation have long been weaponized in Chile and other Latin American countries to crack down on journalists revealing unflattering information about former officials in authoritarian governments.
The issue is complicated by a long-standing and corrupting relationship between members of the press and government officials. In an interview with Puro Periodismo, Herrero explained:
“And no one talks about the revolving door of journalism, politics and business. Cristián Bofill raised me as a journalist and at the time he was one of the best in Chile, and now he is an advisor to Luksic. Guillermo Turner had a career in economics at Diario Financiero and La Tercera, and today he is an advisor to Matte.”
Between criminal libel laws and lucrative rewards for journalists who avoid criticizing powerful figures, it’s easy to see why Herrero saw a gap in the Chilean news market. His company, Interferencia, focuses on in-depth news coverage of politicians and large businesses.
Herrero describes himself as a member of the “old school” of journalism that “thinks of controlling power” as a primary function of the press, and his company reflects that.
The Lawsuit Threatening Herrero and His Company
In August 2022, Interferencia published a story describing a police colonel’s illegal logging operation in the region he was stationed in. Lieutenant Colonel Christián Beltrán Alarcón was the head of Zonal Intelligence Advisory of the Southern Macrozone. Beltrán was alleged to have received payments from illegal logging operations.
Illegal logging is a growing problem in Chile. The illegal logging industry cost Chile an estimated $67.8 million in 2020, and it has encroached onto indigenous land, sometimes with the tribe’s permission, but often without.
Any law enforcement’s ties to the industry are troubling, and Beltrán was removed from his post in July 2022 because of them. He was later transferred to the 38th Puente Alto Police Station.
Herrero’s story is properly sourced, relying on many anonymous sources offering details on a timber company’s owner and his relationship with Beltrán.
To Americans, this may seem like a standard news article about a misbehaving public official.
In Chile, it was a criminal offense. Beltrán sued Herrero and asked the courts for a one-and-a-half to three-year prison sentence and a fine.
A Criminal Sentence for Public Service
In May 2023, a criminal court ruled that Herrero was guilty of defamation and decided that he had to pay a fine of 126,000 pesos and the trial’s legal costs. Herrero appealed because that amount could endanger his company.
As of June 24, 2024, Interferencia is still publishing timely stories and investigative reports. Herrero seems to have overcome a serious offensive against his company.
His case also highlights the dangers of criminalizing speech. Imposing prison sentences for reporting unfavorably about public officials and powerful business figures makes democratic accountability impossible. Democracies rely on journalists to uncover self-enriching officials so the people can vote them out or public officials can hold them accountable.
Herrero’s persistence in the face of legal threats is a lesson in courage that anyone interested in interrogating the powerful can learn from and be inspired by.
