Free press? Venezuela beats the US

[Judi Lynn]

Free press? Venezuela beats the US
Of course Chávez's new media law is bad. But it won't make a dent in the huge amount of press freedom in Venezuela

Mark Weisbrot guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 4 August 2009 18.03 BST

Denis MacShane attacks the British left for defending Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, against an onslaught from the media, "new cold warriors", and rightwing demagogues throughout the world. His rhetorical trick is to tar the left with a new media law currently being debated in the Venezuelan congress, which he says "would impose prison sentences of up to four years for journalists whose writings might divulge information against 'the stability of the institutions of the state'."

Of course this is a bad law. There are a number of bad laws on the books in Venezuela, and in fact numerous countries in the region have desacato (pdf) laws that make it a crime to insult the president. Do MacShane's targets – he mentions Ken Livingstone and Richard Gott – support such laws? I would bet serious money that they do not. So his main line of attack is misleading if not downright dishonest.

MacShane also misrepresents the reality of press freedom in Venezuela. In fact, there is a much more oppositional media in Venezuela than in the US, and a much greater range of debate in the major media. This can be seen simply by looking at the most important media in both countries. In the US, for example, not even the most aggressive rightwing commentators such as Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity would present the idea that the president should be lynched. But Globovision, one of the largest-audience TV networks, had a show where a guest did just that.

This is not an isolated example in Venezuela. Its media routinely broadcasts reporting and commentary that would not be allowed under FCC rules in the US. And the vast majority of the media in Venezuela is still controlled by the rightwing opposition. This fact was buried in a footnote in a highly prejudiced and misleading 230-page report by Human Rights Watch. The footnote acknowledged that RCTV, which lost its broadcast licence for a long list of offences that would have landed its owners in jail in the US, still has a cable audience that is bigger than all the Venezuelan state television combined.

If the US had a media like Venezuela's, Barack Obama could never have been elected president. That's because the majority of Americans would have believed, as those beholden to some rightwing sources do, that he is a Muslim who was not born in the US. Think of Fox News and the Washington Times as the vast majority of the US media – that is the reality in Venezuela, only the media is more political and less accurate than America's biggest rightwing outlets.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/04/venezuela-media-freedom-chavez

[Vidar]

1. Great article, Judi.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Thanks for reading it, Vidar.

:hi:

[wroberts189]

2. Prepare your flame suit Judi Lynn..

The paid anti-Chavez astro-turf force has a major faction on this board.


btw knr

[Judi Lynn]

5. Yeah, they do. And they're really clinching up, aren't they?

They're getting good and testy. Downright cranky. Things must not be going well for them.

http://www.file83.com.nyud.net:8090/DU_Flame_Suit.jpg

[Judi Lynn]

3. Why the U.S. Government Hates Venezuela

Why the U.S. Government Hates Venezuela
By Shamus Cooke

The propaganda wheels are turning fast. The barrage of anti-Venezuela misinformation that began while Bush was in office has intensified in recent months. Not a week goes by without the U.S. mainstream media running at least one story about the "dictatorial" Venezuelan government. Historically, the U.S. government's foreign policy "coincidentally" matches the opinion of the media and vice versa.

A front page New York Times article on August 2, 2009 cited "new evidence" that the Venezuelan government "still" supports the FARC — a peasant-based guerrilla group that has fought the Colombian government for decades.

This "new evidence" is a mere recycling of the last tactical attempt to link the Venezuelan government with the FARC: computers were supposedly confiscated from FARC leaders that showed innumerable ties to Venezuelan government officials. Of course anybody can write anything on a computer and say it came from somewhere else. Evidence like this needs only a willing accomplice — the media — to legitimize it.

The Venezuelan government denies the accusations. But even if Venezuela maintained a policy of openly supporting the FARC, it would be more justifiable than the U.S. policy of openly supporting the Colombian government. Colombia is the most-hated and repressive government in the western hemisphere, but the U.S. gives billions of dollars of financial, military and political aide. This despicable relationship has not ended under Obama, but has in fact strengthened.

The recent announcement that the U.S. military would move potentially thousands of troops to Colombia, where they will access five Colombian military bases, has put Venezuela and the rest of Latin America on alert. The Obama administration has not explained the move publicly, though Latin Americans need no explanation.

The continent has a long history of being exploited by U.S. corporations, who work in tandem with the U.S. government to oust "non-cooperative" governments, using countless tactics to meet their objectives including clandestine C.I.A. coups.

More:
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/22219

[Peace Patriot]

6. See? See? See? Chavez is a dictator cuz...um...he's still popular, how can that be,

despite the best efforts of a multi-million dollar, multi-year, multi-fronted "Big Lie" campaign, such as we have not seen since the WMDs that weren't in Iraq, to paint him as a murdering, thieving, drug dealing, weapons dealing, terrorist-loving, "opposition"-oppressing, incubator-unplugging tyrant, and that shows ya that he dictatorially buys votes by building schools and medical clinics.

Next from Simon Romero (the NYT's "Judith Miller" for South America): "How Chavez is turning little schoolchildren into FARC guerrillas by giving them hot lunches."

So it goes.

--------------------------

It's quite difficult to talk about Chavez and our dreadful corporate-run media in sane terms. If Lewis Carroll were still alive, he could do it. Blithering jabberwocky. I've tried to do it myself, and have found myself, oh, feeling despair that reason can get us out of this and other rabbit holes. One of the swirls of unreality you go down--I've gone down--is to say that, if Fox News did here what RCTV did in Venezuela (actively participated in a rightwing coup against the elected government), they wouldn't just have their license to use the public airwaves pulled, they'd be in jail--because it's worse than misuse of a license; it is treason. But, you see, I believe that our corporate media--all of them, not just Fox News--already did this, twice, in 2000 and 2004. They used their broadcasting license to actively participate in two rightwing/corpo/war profiteer coups against the elected presidents of the U.S., Al Gore and John Kerry. And they are not in jail for it, nor, certainly, have they lost their broadcast licenses. How I really should put it is, in a Fantasy United States--a U.S. in which the illusion of democracy is used to prevent real democracy--a number of traitors would be in jail, including the CEO's of the fascist 'news' monopolies, and, in the conext this ideal of democracy that we, the people, blessedly maintain and that is used against us, to oppress us, what Chavez did to RCTV--pulled their license--was very mild, and perfectly understandable (as well as quite legal).

There are damn few capitalist democracies that are working very well these days. Ours is poised right over the fascist precipice (or worse, a nazi precipice)--especially given our heavily propagandistic media and the corporate-owned 'TRADE SECRET' code in all the voting machines, and what the Bushwhacks were able to get away with for eight years, with complete impunity. Criminy, we did fall over the cliff, and are only very slowly even realizing that "Humpty Dumpty" is wounded, let alone smashed to pieces. Our democracy has been gravely shattered. And one reason that Diebold & brethren permitted Obama to win in 2008 may have been that the Bushwhacks were exposing that reality (of a shattered democracy) beneath the surface of the carefully cultured illusion of democracy by which we have all been brainwashed and oppressed since Reagan, at least (probably since the JFK, RFK and MLK assassinations). The Bushwhacks were too raw. The things that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld did are mind-boggling--but here they are walking free. Our democracy is so wounded, it is nearly dead. And along comes a new, invigorated, truly egalitarian and people-supported democracy--Venezuela--and its government tries to do what we tried to do, in the 1950s and 1960s--regulate use of the public airwaves for political fairness--and some of us hardly recognize ourselves, our democratic ideals--our 'Fairness Doctrine,' our "equal time" provisions, our desire for wide spectrum political discussion and information, and our legitimate fear of media moguls. The Chavez government's fear of media moguls--based on known media mogul participation in overthrowing the government--is painted here as an attack on "free speech," when it is precisely the opposite of that. The Venezuelans are attempting to prevent fascist corporate media moguls from controlling all the airwaves, from brainwashing the public with corpo/fascist BS--lies, fearmongering and craziness of every kind--and from replacing democracy with fascist dictators. And that was the whole point of our creation of the FCC and broadcast licensing back when TV was invented.

The U.S. now has only the illusion of government regulation of the airwaves in the public interest. In practice, the corpo/fascist 'news' monopolies run wild here. So, to say that what the Chavez government is doing--trying to properly and rightfully regulate the airwaves in the public interest, to enhance democracy--is only what all democracies do, including our own, is not exact. The Chavez government is trying to create the reality--rather than the illusion--of free speech. And that is a major crime in our "Alice in Wonderland" corpo/fascist world--where "free speech" is for rightwing, billionaire media CEOs, not for you and me. We think we have it. But we really don't. We've forgotten that we have the right NOT to be lambasted 24/7--on virtually every TV and radio station--with fascist manipulations of the news and outright raving propaganda, such as we were subjected to in the leadup to the Iraq War.

[sabrina 1]

7. Very good article, PeacePatriot

And along comes a new, invigorated, truly egalitarian and people-supported democracy--Venezuela--and its government tries to do what we tried to do, in the 1950s and 1960s--regulate use of the public airwaves for political fairness--and some of us hardly recognize ourselves, our democratic ideals--our 'Fairness Doctrine,' our "equal time" provisions, our desire for wide spectrum political discussion and information, and our legitimate fear of media moguls. The Chavez government's fear of media moguls--based on known media mogul participation in overthrowing the government--is painted here as an attack on "free speech," when it is precisely the opposite of that. The Venezuelans are attempting to prevent fascist corporate media moguls from controlling all the airwaves, from brainwashing the public with corpo/fascist BS--lies, fearmongering and craziness of every kind--and from replacing democracy with fascist dictators. And that was the whole point of our creation of the FCC and broadcast licensing back when TV was invented.

The Venezuelans do not want the equivalent of Fox News, run by a far right 'media mogul' who is not even an American citizen airc. They had that and the media whose license they have revoked, participated in a coup against their rightful president.

Those who are screaming about censorship in Venezuela clearly do not have a problem with a lying, propaganda machine, damaging democracy every chance they get, elevating such criminals as Karl Rove, Oliver North et al.

It is a privilege to be given a license to report the news in a Democracy and there used to be standards required in this country before that privilege was granted.

I think after decades of media rightwing propaganda in this country, too many Americans, as this article says, can no longer recognize that for a Democracy to survive, as Venezuela is fighting hard to do, a free, TRUTHFUL, press is not just a requirement, it is essential. This country's lying media which participated fully in pushing the US into an unnecessary war and Democracy crushing laws such as the Patriot Act, should serve as a warning to other Democracies. Maybe we ought to take care of our own backyard before we go, once again, minding everyone else's business.

[Guero]

8. Now HERE's a thread worth reading ...

I'm not familiar with McShane but I have followed Simon Romero's flaming lies. And there's another AP reporter who's either a reincarnated gusano or graduate from the Schools of the Americas. Hearst yellow-journalism at its best-worst. Thanks.

[sabrina 1]

9. Simon Romero reminds me of Judith Miller.

His biased reporting on S.A. is becoming legendary. I wonder if he's on the list of US Propagandists such as The Rendon Group, as Judith Miller was as one of the 'Established Media's' 'respected NY Times reporters to whom they can pass their 'news'?

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rendon_Group

"Through its network of international offices and strategic alliances," the Rendon Group website boasted in 2002, "the company has provided communications services to clients in more than 78 countries, and maintains contact with government officials, decision-makers, and news media around the globe."

The Chicago Tribune reports that the Rendon Group has garnered more than $56 million in Pentagon work since September 2001.

'Perception managers' and 'Information Warriors'! The new words for state propagandists. John Rendon is shameless, seeing nothing at all wrong with what he does. But it would not surprise me if Simon Romero was one of his 'contacts' for S. A. propaganda. He so reminds me of Judith Miller for some reason.

[Guero]

10. Thanks. I wasn't familiar with the Rendon Group.