Politics

Venezuela and the Media: Fact and Fiction

By Robert W. McChesney & Mark Weisbrot - CommonDreams.org, Jun 2nd 2007

Regrettably, the US media coverage of Venezuela’s RCTV controversy says more about the deficiencies of our own news media that it does about Venezuela. It demonstrates again, as with the invasion of Iraq, how our news media are far too willing to carry water for Washington than to ascertain and report the truth of the matter.

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Chavez TV

By Victor Navasky - Comment Is Free, Jun 1st 2007

On the surface, the RCTV "shut down" (as the US conservative TV channel, Fox News calls it) appears like a Castrovian giant step on the road to censorship. But there is more than one road to what Chávez likes to term, "21st century socialism."

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It is Easy to See the Speck in the Other's Eye

By Diana Cariboni* - IPS, May 30th 2007

People have been collectively tearing their hair out all over Latin America because of the Venezuelan government's decision not to renew the broadcasting licence of that country's most popular television station, RCTV. But they ignore the media situation in the rest of Latin America.

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Hugo Chavez versus RCTV

By Bart Jones - Los Angeles Times, May 30th 2007

The case of RCTV — like most things involving Chavez — has been caught up in a web of misinformation. While one side of the story is getting headlines around the world, the other is barely heard.

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Venezuela, RCTV, And Media Freedom: Just The Facts, Please

By James Jordan, May 29th 2007

Pardon me if I'm just a little astounded by all this noise in the media, the Bush administration, the Senate and the House, about how Venezuela is "attacking" free speech and independent media by not renewing the broadcasting license of RCTV.

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Zero Hour for Venezuela's RCTV

By George Ciccariello-Maher - MRZine, May 29th 2007

Many discussions of freedom of speech rely on a fundamentally flawed assumption: that existing media outlets in some way embody "freedom." The debate surrounding RCTV is no exception.

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Venezuela's RCTV: Sine Die and Good Riddance

By Stephen Lendman, May 28th 2007

In spite of their lawlessness, the Chavez government treated all five broadcasters gently, opting not to prosecute them, but merely refusing to renew one of RCTV's operating licenses (its VHF one) when it expired May 27 (its cable and satellite operations are unaffected) - a mere slap on the wrist.

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Leading Voices from Britain Urge Support for the Venezuelan Government’s Decision not to Renew RCTV’s Licence

By Various Authors - The Guardian, May 28th 2007

In Venezuela, as in Britain, TV stations must adhere to laws and regulations governing what they can broadcast. Imagine the consequences if the BBC or ITV were found to be part of a coup against the government. Venezuela deserves the same consideration.

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Don't Cry for Venezuela's RCTV

By Charlie Hardy - NarcoSphere, May 28th 2007

As I write this, I am looking at a Venezuelan newspaper, El Diario, from February 10, 1992. The editorial that would have occupied half of page 2 is missing. Page 4 is completely blank. The contents were censored by the government of the then president Carlos Andres Perez.

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Senator Dodd's Bizarre Campaign Against Venezuela

By Robert Naiman - Huffington Post, May 26th 2007

While many people were gnashing their teeth over the Congressional decision to fund the escalation of the war in Iraq without any meaningful restriction, the Senate, led by Senators Dodd, Clinton, and Obama, did something very bizarre. It passed a resolution introduced by Dodd and Lugar denouncing Venezuela for not renewing the license of a TV station that actively supported the 2002 military coup against the democratically elected government.

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