Cody Weddle Twitter
Cody Weddle is a U.S. reporter who was declared missing on Tuesday, before reports confirmed he had been detained by the Venezuelan government.
Per The Miami Herald, Weddle’s home was raided on Wednesday morning for unknown reasons. Weddle’s colleague, Carlos Camacho, has also been detained, the publication reports.
In response to this event, a number of politicians have begun to speak out against Weddle’s detainment, including the senator of Florida. Rick Scott tweeted on Wednesday morning, “Completely unacceptable for @NicolasMaduro and his thugs to detain @WPLGLocal10’s Cody Weddle for reporting on the successful return of the legitimate Venezuelan President @jguaido. He must be released immediately and the U.S. will not stand for this kind of intimidation!”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Weddle Is a 29-Year-Old Freelance Reporter Who Has Lived in Venezuela for Five Years
According to his Twitter account, Weddle has been in Venezuela, specifically living in the city of Caracas, since 2014. His Twitter bio reads, :Freelance journalist. Periodista independiente. Four years in Venezuela. Contributing to @WPLGLocal10, @ABC, @CBC, @MiamiHerald, @Telegraph, and more”
Weddle’s Facebook reveals his long resume of reporting jobs: he attended Virginia Tech as an undergraduate, studying communications, and has worked at an intern at a number of news stations over the years, including WJHL, WSLS 10, and WKPT-TV. During his time in Venezuela, he has worked at teleSUr English, and now he is self-employed as a freelance journalist.
Weddle studied abroad in Ecuador for a semester in 2012, as well.
2. Weddle’s Most Recent Facebook Status Described the Situation at the Venezuelan-Colombian Border as ‘Intense’
In his most recent Facebook status on February 26, Weddle wrote,
“Back in Caracas after several days covering the intense situation on Venezuela-Colombia border. The government has deployed dozens of paramilitary groups known locally as colectivos. They’re patrolling the area on motorcycles wearing ski masks and are heavily armed. They’re charged with breaking up protests and have also robbed local and foreign journalists. We had a scare when troops who had noticed our presence from across the street arrived at our hotel. Miraculously, no deaths have been reported from the area, although four died in similar clashes on Venezuela’s border with Brazil.My last report from the border area for ABC Miami. We had to do most of the shooting from the car.”
3. Weddle Has Written on a Number of High-Intensity Topics About Venezuela, Including ‘Evidence of Death Squads’ & the Rate of Inflation
On his Facebook and Twitter accounts, Weddle has shared a number of articles he has written or contributed to that discuss the tense state of affairs in Venezuela.
In a Facebook status where he shared an article he wrote for Telegraph, Weddle wrote, “There’s growing evidence that death squads are being used in Venezuela to prevent uprisings in working-class neighborhoods. For this piece I spoke to a family whose relative posted a video online calling Maduro a ‘son of a bitch.’ Two days later masked authorities arrived at his home, dragged him out, and shot him dead.”
In another status where he shared a video he took, Weddle wrote, “Juan Franco throws Venezuelan currency in the air on 1/23, just before Juan Guaido declared himself the country’s legitimate president. ‘This money isn’t worth anything. They tricked us.’ Inflation here is expected to reach 10 million percent this year. Whatever that means.”
4. A Number of Journalists Have Been Detained in Venezuela Over the Years
Per The Miami Herald, a number of journalists have been detained over the years, as recently as last month, when Univision reporter Jorge Ramos and his team were all detained at the presidential palace before being deported.
After he was released, Ramos gave a broadcast explaining his version of events. As relayed by The New York Times, Ramos said, “[President Maduro] didn’t like the things we were asking him about the lack of democracy in Venezuela, the torture and the political prisoners.”
Ramos said they were detained for several hours, forced to give over their equipment, their phones, and their memory cards, before they were eventually released. He said, “We don’t have anything. They have the interviews.”
In response, the government communications minister gave a statement which read, “We don’t lend ourselves to cheap shows…Hundreds of journalists have come through who received decent treatment that we always give to those who do journalistic work.”
5. Weddle’s Most Recent Story Was Done for WPLG and Published on March 5
Weddle was last active on March 5, advertising on Twitter a piece he reported on for WPLG, a local news affiliate. The piece, which you can see in the video above, covered the return of the Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan Guaido, to Caracas.
At one point, Weddle says, “Today immigration officials allowed the 35-year-old in without issue.”