30
May
A New Word For Your Lexicon: “Mediatic Manipulation”
THE VENEZUELA MEDIA CRISIS
As Seen by CNN:
• NEW: Demonstrators march again despite police use of water cannon
• NEW: U.S. calls Venezuelan action an attack on freedom of expression
• Venezuela investigating Globovision, now the only opposition channel left
• Venezuelan minister says, “CNN lies to Venezuela”; CNN denies allegations
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CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) — As thousands of students marched in the streets in support, a Venezuelan television channel denied accusations that it was inciting violence against the government.
President Hugo Chavez’s administration shut down one station that was critical of him, and has opened an investigation into the remaining opposition station, Globovision.
Globovision’s director, Alberto Ravell, was unimpressed. “We are not going to change our editorial line that we are not afraid of the threats from this government,” he told CNN.
In a news conference and a posting Monday on the government’s Web site, Minister of Communication Willian Lara described two incidents he said were provocative.
First, Globovision’s “Citizen” program on Sunday followed an interview with the outgoing director general of the opposition station, Radio Caracas Television, with video showing images of the attempted 1981 assassination in the Vatican of Pope John Paul II.
As the video played, Ruben Blades could be heard singing, “This doesn’t end here.”
“The television company, in that specific fragment of its programming, committed the crime of inciting to assassinate — in the person of the chief of state of Venezuela,” Lara said, referring to Chavez. “That was the objective.”
AS SEEN BY ALJAZEERA
Venezuela’s president has lambasted an opposition-aligned news channel, calling it a state enemy and saying he would do everything to stop it from inciting violence.
Hugo Chavez’s warning came as police in the capital, Caracas, faced off with those protesting against the government’s decision to take another station off the free airwaves.
Chavez accused Globovision of trying to incite others to assassinate him by misreporting on the protests over RCTV being taken off the free airwaves.
Thousands of Venezuelans marched in Caracas on Tuesday - the fourth straight day of protests - against the decision not to renew RCTV’s licence.
Intermittent clashes have been reported over the last four days between protesters hurling bottles and stones, and police firing rubber bullets and tear gas.
HEADLINE ON TELESUR, THE VENEZUELAN STATION: The insurrection against the dictatorship of mass media begins
These issues are being discussed and debated in Venezuela and Bolivia:
Two interesting events I finish sharing related to the information and mass media. They have been developed consecutively in Caracas and the beautiful Bolivian city of Cochabamba. First of them it was organized days 18, 19 and 20 by the television channel Telesur under the title “the right to inform and to be informed. A debate on the property of mass media”. During three days half hundred of journalists, academic mass media people in charge or took advantage of the social debate that is being developed in Venezuela before the decision of the government of not renewing the concession of the license of emission to a deprived television, to go beyond and to analyze which must be the paper of the states, how they are handling the information most of mass media and how it can be developed to the citizen participation and the social property of these means. In Cochabamba, also during two days, the 23 and the 24 of May, were celebrated the V World-wide Encounter of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of the Humanity under the thematic one “In defense of the truth and against the mediatic manipulation”.
Look at the video footage of the protesters in Venezuela.
The people protesting the TV shutdown are 99% white/Spanish elite while the greater number of Chavez-supporting protesters are overwhelmingly dark-skinned indigenous people.
The white elites want their positions of power to remain, while the indigenous only want a piece of the action and a chance for some social justice.
No matter what channel one watches here in the USA, the issue is framed as being between those who want the freedom to promote the (propaganda of the) US-supported right versus no pro-Chavez press coverage whatsoever.
Since television arrived in Venezuela, it has been controlled by the elite which sanctifies the continued rule by them over the welfare of the majority of the citizenry.
May 30th, 2007 at 11:28 amThe country, Venezuela, is fine, The President DID NOT shutted down any T.V Station,
The station RCTV had a Goverment Concession for the last 53 years, paying almost nothing on taxes, the owners are very powerful people, the founder was an american. So Chavez did not renew the contract. That is all he did. It is a goverment right.
This channel has been use at this moment, by the communities, like Pacifica Radio Station or Amy Goodman with Democracy Now, or Cunny Tv, just to metion few examples. Is not a goverment channel, as the private media is showing it at this moment .
This TV Station RCTV had had been so DisRespectful for the country, I NEVER EVER
wacthed it. Their main programing was about sex and violence. The political programs were all about BAD news and insults to the goverment and the President. They never tramsmited any good news or give a credit to the President in anyway. RCTV was using the tv air waves to promote their political view.
When I a just came back from US, living inNew York city for 10 years, what shocked the most was how the private media was behaving. They never showed any respect for the president or any member of his administration. Shocking!
And since then I have never wacthed a good news or good report about Venezuela in the Private Media nor a person of color, the only showed them for sensationalist news. News than can alter the civil order, using poor people, people of color as puppets to reached their objetives. They always called the President all kind of names, the laugh at any bad things that happens in the country and they always called for the assassination of Chavez, directly or indirectly as a solution for the suppossed Opression. This was the Ethical line of RCTV, at this moment GLOBOVISON, another TV station in public air waves, is using the exact ethical lline. So, this is the media that claiming that they DO NOT have FREEDOM of SPEECH. Can somebody explain me in better way, how to call this behavior, It is not fredom of speech, so then what is it ?
My personal opinion is I this: I think Chávez has been too soft or too kind with the private media. Something that is hard for me to understand is why nobody is in jail, how the people who sabotaged the oil company, are free, how all the private media that is oppositing the goverment can run the public tv and use these channels that are public to promote violence and killing of the president, why the private media does not respect the laws, why the private media does not tramsmite good news about the country.
The country is moving foward, with social programs, better salaries, more
people’s laws, better roads, more hospitals, recently more Universitie will be builded, more schoolarships will be given, to metion few of these. So Why these private media can say anything they want and nobody is held accountable for it?
My concern is, all these lies that are getting public on international newspapers and internet sites, also people like you, who are outside and thinking, that all is madnnes here, or that Venezuela is run by a dictator, or that we do not have freedom of speech. Because I do not have the power to reach many, I took the time to explain you in my best way what is really happing here. I only have the power to informed and educate myself. I do believe in many of the goverment ways. I keep myself in the positive track, not wanting to get into any contravesrsial conversation with someone who does not read or investigate, or a person who only follows the private media.
The damage that the private media caused in many Venezuelans is done, and the reverse will need many year of healing.
I also want to make clear that I writing these lines because I am worry about this country and any International action that might be taken place based on these lies. I do not belong to any party, I just a citizen from Venezuela, who lived 11 years outside. 1 year in Spain and 10 in New York, U.S. And I am back since the end of 2004.
May 31st, 2007 at 2:46 pmI know if these protesters will be in U.S, many of them will be in jail because of their violence and blocking of the main highways and avenues. Theses private medias will not exist in, U.S or France.