La Nación Accused of Being Untruthful In Its Reporting of the TLC March
A number of citizens have brought and action against the daily Spanish language newspaper for not being truthful and trusworthy in its reports of the protest march of February 26 and have made an appeal before the Constitutional Court (Sala Cuarta) claiming that their rights were trampled on.

William Ulloa Bonilla and Ana Cecilia Trejos presented the appeal in search of a precedent that will somehow force the press to broadcast truthful information, especially when it comes to the Tratado de Libre Comercio - free trade agreement with the United States known as CAFTA.

"We presented the appeal because many of us who participated in the protest march of February 26 were surprised with the information read in headlines of La Nación and stories inside where they said that only 23.500 people took part in the march, not one more nor one less, and this left a bitter taste with many who where there", said William Ulloa.

Ulloa added that the decision to take their action to court came after many emails, telephone calls and websites stating the sentiment of many of the way the newspaper decided to present the action to the people.

Many feel that many more attended the protest march, saying the streets were completed filled with people from the Cuesta de Moras to the San Juan de Dios and that given the enormous number of people, La Nación report was unjust.

Asked if the action is similar to David and Goliath, Ulloa said yes, but that the first step is difficult and that the action is not representing those affected but of his own personal action of what people have expressed to him during the past few weeks.

Ulloa, admitting that his first step may not go anywhere, said that there are others, like the Grupo Costa Rica Solidaria, who are calling on the citizenry not to read La Nación.

Lawyer Juan Diego Castro is one of the few who have won battles against La Nación said he considers it important that the Constitutional Court magistrates know the feeling of the people and set the precedent forcing the press to report the truth and not slant or manipulate the information.

Castro continued that, even though readers felt they were not getting the truth, this is the first time that an appeal has been made to the Constitutional Court to claim their rights to receive truthful information.

Castro feels that the Constitutional Court will not give them reason as they will argue that the citizens did not exercise their rights to have the newspaper publish a correction and it is not up to the Constitutional Court to force such an action.

Castro, however, hopes that the Constitutional Court will not be so formal and looks deep at the reasons for the appeal and sets a precedent, "because as always the La Nación does not care, it has been accused in the past and will continue to always lie", said Castro.