[NYTr] Venez: Mainstream Media Frenzy on RCTV - Latest News Roundup Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 18:56:50 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit excerpted from VIO Venezuela Daily News Roundup - May 30, 2007. Summary: A Los Angeles Times op-ed piece today exposes RCTV's role in the 2002 coup attempt against President Chavez. A "web of misinformation" has surrounded the RCTV case, the piece argues, and misled the public by wrongly casting Marcel Granier -- the media mogul who owns RCTV -- and his allies as free speech crusaders. The sentimental aspect of the loss of RCTV in Venezuela notwithstanding, there is little to be mourned in the non-renewal of the broadcasting license of a TV station guilty of sedition. RCTV encouraged viewers to march against President Chavez during the failed coup of April 2002, and provided coverage exclusively of the political opposition, even when Venezuelans turned out in droves to demand the return of their elected leader. Such behavior from a TV station would not be tolerated in the U.S., the LA Times piece concludes, so why would we deem it acceptable in Venezuela? RCTV brought about its own demise when it acted outside of the law. The Associated Press and Reuters report today that President Chavez has criticized the actions of another television station known for its opposition editorial stance, Globovision. An investigation is expected into the charge that Globovision incited violence by encouraging the assassination of Chavez. Canada's Financial Post today predictably uses the case of RCTV to condemn all of Chavez's policies, including a pro-poor economic strategy that the paper speculates will lead Venezuela to financial ruin. In Nicaragua, Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Santos defended the Venezuelan government's decision not to renew RCTV's tenure on the airwaves. Santos told a Nicaraguan newspaper that "It is an agreement that has expired; it is a license that is over, and the government of Venezuela, using its rights, did not renew it." **************** 1)"Hugo Chavez versus RCTV" The Los Angeles Times 2)"Venezuela's Chavez Defends TV Decision" Associated Press 3)"Venezuela's Chavez widens attack on opposition media" Reuters 4)"ChC!vez warns cable TV news station" Miami Herald 5)"Media under assault in the Americas" Miami Herald 6)"Hurricane Hugo" Financial Post (Canada) 7)"Nicaraguan FM: Venezuela has the right not to renew RCTV license" El Universal **************** The Los Angeles Times - May 30, 2007 http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-jones30may30,1,5553603.story Hugo Chavez versus RCTV Venezuela's oldest private TV network played a major role in a failed 2002 coup. By Bart Jones Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's refusal to renew the license of Radio Caracas Television might seem to justify fears that Chavez is crushing free speech and eliminating any voices critical of him. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists and members of the European Parliament, the U.S. Senate and even Chile's Congress have denounced the closure of RCTV, Venezuela's oldest private television network. Chavez's detractors got more ammunition Tuesday when the president included another opposition network, Globovision, among the "enemies of the homeland." But 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. The demise of RCTV is indeed a sad event in some ways for Venezuelans. Founded in 1953, it was an institution in the country, having produced the long-running political satire program "Radio Rochela" and the blisteringly realistic nighttime soap opera "Por Estas Calles." It was RCTV that broadcast the first live-from-satellite images in Venezuela when it showed Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969. But after Chavez was elected president in 1998, RCTV shifted to another endeavor: ousting a democratically elected leader from office. Controlled by members of the country's fabulously wealthy oligarchy including RCTV chief Marcel Granier, it saw Chavez and his "Bolivarian Revolution" on behalf of Venezuela's majority poor as a threat. RCTV's most infamous effort to topple Chavez came during the April 11, 2002, coup attempt against him. For two days before the putsch, RCTV preempted regular programming and ran wall-to-wall coverage of a general strike aimed at ousting Chavez. A stream of commentators spewed nonstop vitriolic attacks against him ? while permitting no response from the government. Then RCTV ran nonstop ads encouraging people to attend a march on April 11 aimed at toppling Chavez and broadcast blanket coverage of the event. When the march ended in violence, RCTV and Globovision ran manipulated video blaming Chavez supporters for scores of deaths and injuries. After military rebels overthrew Chavez and he disappeared from public view for two days, RCTV's biased coverage edged fully into sedition. Thousands of Chavez supporters took to the streets to demand his return, but none of that appeared on RCTV or other television stations. RCTV News Director Andres Izarra later testified at National Assembly hearings on the coup attempt that he received an order from superiors at the station: "Zero pro-Chavez, nothing related to Chavez or his supporters?. The idea was to create a climate of transition and to start to promote the dawn of a new country." While the streets of Caracas burned with rage, RCTV ran cartoons, soap operas and old movies such as "Pretty Woman." On April 13, 2002, Granier and other media moguls met in the Miraflores palace to pledge support to the country's coup-installed dictator, Pedro Carmona, who had eliminated the Supreme Court, the National Assembly and the Constitution. Would a network that aided and abetted a coup against the government be allowed to operate in the United States? The U.S. government probably would have shut down RCTV within five minutes after a failed coup attempt ? and thrown its owners in jail. Chavez's government allowed it to continue operating for five years, and then declined to renew its 20-year license to use the public airwaves. It can still broadcast on cable or via satellite dish. Granier and others should not be seen as free-speech martyrs. Radio, TV and newspapers remain uncensored, unfettered and unthreatened by the government. Most Venezuelan media are still controlled by the old oligarchy and are staunchly anti-Chavez. If Granier had not decided to try to oust the country's president, Venezuelans might still be able to look forward to more broadcasts of "Radio Rochela." *** AP via The Washington Post - May 29, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/29/AR2007052900224.html Venezuela's Chavez Defends TV Decision By Jorge Rueda The Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez defended his decision not to renew the license of a popular opposition-aligned television network and warned Tuesday he might crack down on another TV station, accusing it of trying to incite attempts on his life. Chavez said his refusal to renew the license of Radio Caracas Television, which went off the air at midnight Sunday, is "a sovereign, legitimate decision." He said another station Globovision _ one of the few channels that is still harshly anti-government _ had encouraged attempts on his life and could also face sanctions. "I recommend (Globovision) take a tranquilizer, that they slow down, because if not, I'm going to slow them down," Chavez said in a speech. Chavez did not elaborate, but said some broadcasters and newspapers are conspiring to spark unrest and warned that radio stations should not be inciting violence by "manipulating" public sentiment. "A new destabilization plan is under way," Chavez said, calling for his supporters to be "on alert" and ordering officials to closely monitor media coverage. Globovision's legal advisor Perla Jaimes told The Associated Press that Chavez had no legal basis to sanction the channel and said it would not be intimidated by the warnings. "Globovision is not going to change its editorial line," Jaimes said. "We cannot stop transmitting the news. We cannot self-censor. We have to broadcast everything that is happening in the country." Thousands _ both Chavez supporters and opponents _ staged separate marches in Caracas on Tuesday. The Chavez opponents chanted "freedom!" while government supporters said they were in the streets to reject an opposition attempt to stir up violence. Information Minister Willian Lara on Monday accused Globovision of encouraging an attempt on Chavez's life by broadcasting the chorus of a salsa tune _ "Have faith, this doesn't end here" _ along with footage of the 1981 assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II. Globovision director Alberto Federico Ravell denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations "ridiculous." Globovision replayed footage of the assassination attempt during a retrospective of news events covered by RCTV during its 53 years on the air. The government turned over RCTV's license to a new state-funded public channel, which showed a documentary on explorers in Antarctica, a children's program and exercise programs, interspersed with government ads repeating the slogan "Venezuela now belongs to everyone." Chavez says it is a move to democratize the airwaves. He accused RCTV of helping incite a failed coup in 2002, violating broadcast laws and "poisoning" Venezuelans with programming that promoted capitalism. International press freedom groups, the European Union, the Chilean Senate, Human Rights Watch and others have expressed concern about the move against RCTV. The State Department on Tuesday called on the Chavez government "to reverse policies that limit freedom of expression." While Chavez made his speech Tuesday, thousands of students and opposition supporters marched to the offices of the Organization of American States, where they urged the body to take a stand chanting, "This is a dictatorship!" Scattered protests were held in affluent parts of Caracas, as well as eastern Anzoategui state and central Carabobo state. Thousands of government supporters held a rival march to the presidential palace accusing the opposition of trying to foment instability. "RCTV was rubbish. Its programming was horrible, banal. Not even (the opposition) watched it," said Elena Pereira, an English professor at a state-funded university. "They want a reason to overthrow the government." There were no reports of violence Tuesday, though on Monday police firing tear gas clashed with protesters in Caracas. Chavez did not mention CNN, accused by Lara on Monday of seeking to smear Venezuela. In a statement, CNN denied any campaign to discredit Venezuela and said it has "a long history of consistently balanced coverage" of the country. *** Reuters via The Washington Post - May 30, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/30/AR2007053000426.html Venezuela's Chavez widens attack on opposition media By Christian Oliver CARACAS - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday called opposition news channel Globovision an enemy of the state and said he would do what was needed to stop it from inciting violence, only days after he shut another opposition broadcaster. Tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched in Caracas in a fourth consecutive day of protests over Chavez's closure of the RCTV network - a move which has sparked international criticism that the leftist leader's reforms are undermining democracy. State television showed hundreds of government supporters marching in downtown Caracas celebrating Chavez's decision. "Enemies of the homeland, particularly those behind the scenes, I will give you a name: Globovision. Greetings gentlemen of Globovision, you should watch where you are going," Chavez said in a broadcast all channels had to show. "I recommend you take a tranquilizer and get into gear, because if not, I am going to do what is necessary." He accused Globovision of trying to incite his assassination and of misreporting protests over the closure of RCTV in a manner that could whip up a situation similar to the coup attempt against him in 2002. U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Washington called on Venezuelan authorities "to reverse these policies that they are pursuing to limit freedom of expression." Since coming to power in 1999, Chavez has won the support of the nation's poor majority with a multi-billion dollar social spending program, financed by the nation's oil revenues, that helped him win a landslide re-election last year. But his critics say his moves to centralize power, politicize key institutions like the military, judiciary and oil industry threaten democracy. He is forging a single governing party, ruling by decree and considering abolishing limits on how many terms a president can serve. CLASHES OVER CLOSURE Given this trend, political analysts had considered the existence of a critical media as the principal safeguard against Chavez following the lead of his communist mentor Cuban leader Fidel Castro. After RCTV's closure, Globovision is the last main opposition media in the OPEC nation, but it does not have nationwide coverage. Chavez has had a long-running feud with opposition television channels, which openly supported a coup against him in April 2002 and refused to show the massive mobilization of his supporters that turned the tide back in the president's favor. RCTV's closure on Sunday has led to intermittent clashes between protesters hurling bottles and stones and police firing rubber bullets and tear gas. The mayor of metropolitan Caracas, Juan Barreto, said up to 187 people had been detained during the protests, mainly students. He said 19 police had been hurt, one surviving a shot to chest thanks to a flak jacket. Globovision Director General Alberto Ravell told Reuters the charges against his channel were "ridiculous" but added he was worried by the government's offensive. "If this government, with one stroke of the pen, closed the oldest television station in the country (RCTV), that has been on the air for 53 years, how will it not be able to shut this station which is far smaller," he said. "This is a country with a single party and a single trade union. Now it appears there is going to be a single channel." Chavez told Venezuelans to be on alert in case protests turned into a coup attempt against him. He called particularly on the poor shantytowns to repeat the support they showed for him during the coup attempt of 2002. "Be alert, on the hillsides, in the shantytowns," he said. (Additional reporting by Brian Ellsworth and Arshad Mohammed in Washington) *** The Miami Herald - May 30, 2007 http://www.miamiherald.com/579/story/122681.html ChC!vez warns cable TV news station; Venezuela's government said a 24-hour cable news station is 'inciting' assassination attempts against President Hugo ChC!vez. By Phil Gunson and Steven Dudley CARACAS -- President Hugo ChC!vez's government Tuesday began legal action against a private TV station for allegedly inciting people to kill him, even as protesters against his weekend shutdown of the RCTV station continued to clash sporadically with police. Venezuelan Communications Minister Willian Lara asked prosecutors to open a case against the 24-hour cable news station GlobovisiC3n after it broadcast images of the attempted murder of Pope John Paul II in 1981, accompanied by a popular salsa song titled This Does Not Stop Here. Addressing the country on a government-mandated nationwide TV and radio broadcast, ChC!vez called GlobovisiC3n an ''enemy of the motherland'' and accused the channel of ''inciting'' people to kill him. ''Gentlemen of GlobovisiC3n . . . I recommend that you take a tranquilizer, that you take it easy, because if not, I'm going to make you take it easy,'' he said before a group of elderly supporters dressed in ChC!vez's signature red. Lara also filed a case against CNN for using a clip of protests in Mexico over the killing of a journalist to illustrate alleged violations of press freedoms in Venezuela, and juxtaposing images of an alleged al Qaeda leader and protests in China with images of ChC!vez. GlobovisiC3n aired its footage during a retrospective of RCTV's decades of news coverage, and director Alberto Federico Ravell called the government's charges ''ridiculous.'' CNN issued a statement acknowledging a mistake with the Mexico video footage and issuing an apology. ChC!vez's strong words and legal action come amid continuing street protests over his decision to not renew the broadcast license of the country's most popular channel, RCTV, that resulted in weekend clashes with police. The station stopped broadcasting at midnight Sunday, and the government kicked in with its own cultural and news programming station, TVes, on Monday -- interspersed with political messages. ChC!vez called the RCTV act a ''sovereign, legitimate decision,'' but neighboring government leaders, media watchdog groups and human rights organizations have accused him of trying to quell dissent in the media. ''The Venezuelan government's politically motivated decision not to renew a televisiC3n broadcasting license is a serious setback for freedom of expression in Venezuela,'' Human Rights Watch said in a statement. U.S. REACTION The U.S. State Department Tuesday called on the ChC!vez government ``to reverse policies that limit freedom of expression.'' Student-led demonstrations against the RCTV closing continued across more than seven cities in half a dozen states. In Caracas, a large group of students from various universities marched to the offices of the Organization of American States, where they handed over a letter demanding the right to peaceful demonstrations and criticizing the RCTV shutdown. Later, groups of students clashed with police in nearby streets and a cross-town highway. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. Prosecutors reported that five students had been detained on public order charges arising from Monday's more serious clashes between police and anti-ChC!vez protesters. CALL TO SUPPORTERS ChC!vez supporters also staged demonstrations backing the decision to close RCTV, and the president, alleging that GlobovisiC3n and other media outlets were working to create chaos in the streets, called on backers during his broadcast address to prepare for the worst. ''I'm ready to die for my country. Are you ready?'' he asked. ``They've decided to come for us with everything. We're waiting for them. In the hills, in the neighborhoods. People: Be alert.'' Some, however, pleaded for calm. At the National Assembly, legislator Ismael GarcC-a of the pro-ChC!vez Podemos party called for dialogue. ''We don't believe this is the moment to be calling people out for confrontation on the streets,'' GarcC-a said. A self-proclaimed socialist, ChC!vez has sought to implement widespread political and economic reforms since he took power in 1999. He has instituted popular medical and educational programs as well pushed forward an ambitious and contentious agrarian reform. He's also nationalized parts of the utility, telecommunications and energy sectors. But he has encountered resistance from middle- and upper-class Venezuelans, media owners, senior military officials and state company employees who accuse him of undermining democracy and imposing an authoritarian system. In 2002, a military coup ousted him for 48 hours. Protests demanding ChC!vez return were not covered by RCTV and GlobovisiC3n, which instead decided to replay cooking shows and cartoons. The stations' actions earned GlobovisiC3n the nickname ''GolpevisiC3n,'' -- golpe is Spanish for coup -- and the president's seemingly eternal ire. ''You decide how far you want to take this,'' ChC!vez said on Tuesday to the ``Gentlemen of GlobovisiC3n.'' *** The Miami Herald - May 30, 2007 http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/122694.html Media under assault in the Americas Our Opinion: Silencing critical voices puts democracy at risk The Venezuelan government's shut-down of Radio Caracas Television on Sunday marks a low point for free speech in the Americas. President Hugo ChC!vez replaced a fierce critic of his administration with a state-owned TV station that spouts government propaganda. As disturbing as is this latest move to chill freedom of speech, the regional trend is just as troubling. In some countries, politically motivated governments attack media in an attempt to silence opposition voices. In other countries, journalists are being killed with impunity in the absence of effective law enforcement. Recent examples include: ? Ecuador, where President Rafael Correa has filed a criminal-defamation complaint against the La Hora newspaper's editorial-board chairman, Francisco Vivanco RiofrC-o. Mr. Vivanco faces up to six months in jail for an editorial that criticized the government for trying ''to govern with disturbances, rocks and sticks.'' President Correa used an antiquated law against insulting the president to punish the paper. This charge could be levied against newspapers in any democratic country with free speech. ? Honduras, where President Manuel Zelaya ordered private radio and television stations to air government propaganda for up to 12 days. The broadcasts began on Monday night, and the first featured the president himself. Mr. Zelaya criticizes Honduran media for unfair coverage. But his authoritarian takeover of the airwaves invites comparisons to Mr. ChC!vez's brazen assault on freedom of expression. ? Mexico, which has become the second most-deadly country in the world for journalists after Iraq. More Mexican journalists have been murdered on the job than in Colombia, where journalists long have been targets. With drug turf wars assailing Mexico, journalists increasingly are among the victims. Corruption and ineffective law enforcement allow perpetrators of the crimes to go unpunished. The unfortunate result is media self-censorship. Hermosillo-based Cambio Sonora newspaper just shut down after being bombed twice in two months. It had denounced the lack of protection against of organized crime. Mexico's federal government needs to strengthen its response. Those who assault media stifle democracy itself. The Organization of American States should redouble efforts to reverse these discouraging anti-media trends. For all the democratic reforms in Latin America in the 1990s, too many laws curbing free speech remain on the books and too many journalists remain in the line of fire. This is unfortunate, because the press provides a vital check on government corruption, waste and abuse of power. *** The Financial Post (Canada) - May 30, 2007 http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=f161b051-3243-4939-86a0-1687c8dff50a Hurricane Hugo By Peter Foster Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez closed down his country's most popular television station, RCTV, this past weekend amid violent protests and expressions of concern from the international community. He replaced it with a state channel that carries ads claiming: "Now Venezuela belongs to everyone." Is anybody really ignorant enough to believe that President Chavez's brand of "21st Century Socialism" is going to finish up anywhere other than where the 20th-century version did? Perhaps the dustbin of history has been replaced by the recycling bin. The lefty garbage keeps coming back. But does Hugo Chavez care? You would think that 100 years of policy failure might have persuaded the benighted citizens of most Latin American countries that they were doing something fundamentally wrong. But that would assume some form of national institutional memory, which simply doesn't exist. There is always a new generation of the poor and the gullible who believe that the latest man on horseback will lift them from poverty by opposing American "imperialism" and soaking the rich. There is always a new Caudillo being cheered along as he screws up the economy in a populist fog. And there is always a phalanx of Western liberal/ academic/media types eager to rationalize his rule. You go, Hugo! Among those who have fawned over President Chavez are Canada's Queen of the Left, Linda McQuaig, who admires him for his anti-Yanqui stance and for his role in attempting to reinvigorate OPEC. Ms. McQuaig believes that OPEC "serves as an inspiring model of how unity and coordinated actions can achieve results for the developing world." Just look at Libya and Nigeria! By contrast, the current issue of the magazine Foreign Policy contains a long essay by Alvaro Vargas Llosa called "The Return of the Idiot," which deals with the repeated plight of South America sans ideological rose-coloured spectacles. Mr. Vargas Llosa writes of: "[P]opulist heads of state who are re-enacting the failed policies of the past, opinion leaders from around the world who are lending new credence to them, and supporters who are giving new life to ideas that seemed extinct." Among the egregious Western idiots identified by Mr. Vargas Llosa are Noam Chomsky, whom Mr. Chavez has identified as one of his favourite authors, and the American economist Joseph Stiglitz. However, President Chavez's media crackdown has produced widespread condemnation. This past Friday, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution expressing "profound concern" about the "transgression against freedom of thought and expression that is being carried out in Venezuela." This followed a similar resolution by the European Parliament. Even the Organization of American States has expressed concern about President Chavez's actions. Significantly, President Chavez's hero is Fidel Castro, the man who took the second-richest country in Latin America and turned it into a basket case. Western idiots are still praising all the things that Fidel Castro has allegedly done for education and medicine. Terminal liberal iconoclast Michael Moore, in his latest crockumentary, Sicko, takes American patients to be cured by the Cuban system of socialized medicine. Even a recent story in the Post suggested that -- whatever faults his regime might otherwise have--Fidel might have done a creditable job in keeping up Cuban life expectancy. Such a perspective -- that one can justify one of the most repressive regimes on Earth by its allegedly high literacy rates and "open" medical system -- would be morally bankrupt even if it were not a fantasy. Cuban education amounts to indoctrination; the best medical care is restricted to Castro's Communist party apparatchiks and foreigners who pay high fees (or who come on a propaganda medical tour with Michael Moore). To suggest that President Chavez is the new Fidel -- as President Chavez does -- is hardly good news for the citizens of Venezuela. Mr. Chavez's recent actions are in fact taken straight from Castro's revolutionary playbook, circa 1960-62. They extend from closing down the media through seizing foreign-owned assets, to reintroducing old Commie slogans, such as "Fatherland, Socialism or Death." Mr. Chavez has one thing going for him compared with his moribund Cuban hero: enormous oil wealth. Nevertheless, his policies will still lead to disaster as he follows the depressingly familiar sequence of all socialist revolutions: nationalization, collectivization, capital and price controls, overspending, rampant inflation, subversion of the justice system, and the death of a free press. Price controls, predictably, have caused goods to disappear from the shelves and the supply chain. Money itself is being ritually demonized, along with "speculators." It is all depressingly familiar. To rational people who have a grasp of economics, these policy moves might seem like disastrous mistakes, since they will impoverish the Venezuelan people, but that would be to assume that the objective of President Chavez and his cohorts is to improve the lot of Venezuelans. One might sympathize with the poor voters who, in their ignorance, put Mr. Chavez in power, although they will suffer for their naivete. But it is more difficult to be tolerant of those Western Chavista "idiots" who cheer on the inevitable wrecking of the Venezuelan economy. *** El Universal - May 29, 2007 http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/05/29/en_pol_art_nicaraguan-fm:-venez_29A877043.shtml Nicaraguan FM: Venezuela has the right not to renew RCTV license The Venezuelan government "has every right not to renew the broadcast license for Radio Caracas Television (RCTV)," said Nicaraguan Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Santos. "It is an agreement that has expired; it is a license that is over, and the government of Venezuela, using its rights, did not renew it," he told Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa. Last May 27, members of the Sandinista Front demonstrated outside the Venezuelan Embassy to support President Hugo ChC!vez' decision not to renew RCTV license, the official news agency ABN reported. On Tuesday, the president of the Nicaraguan-Venezuelan Solidarity Committee Janina Guerrero said they supported the suspension of RCTV license because this channel endorsed a coup d'etat against ChC!vez in 2002. * ================================================================ .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org .List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ .Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================