| South Florida Business Journal -- Broward Edition - April 23, 2002 http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2002/04/22/daily26.html |
10:26 EDT Tuesday
Newsweek slanderous, says Cisneros exec
A top executive of Miami's privately held media conglomerate, the Cisneros Group of Companies, has come out swinging against a Newsweek article claiming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gustavo A. Cisneros played a role in an attempted coup d'etat against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Steven Bandel, company president and chief operating officer, called the Newsweek statements false, slanderous and damaging. According to the company, an article titled "Venezuela: The Coup Failed And The Fallout Goes On," said Cisneros acted as the vortex of the failed coup.
"The Cisneros Group has submitted a letter requesting that Newsweek immediately retract the accusations, which we consider slanderous," said Bandel.
Bandel, who called the article inaccurate and slanderous, said the company intended to take additional action to defend the reputation and honor of the company chairman and chief executive officer.
Newsweek has not yet issued a statement in response to Bandel's allegations.