Chavez Coup Co-Conspirators Transformed Into Free-Speech Martyrs

[RufusTFirefly]

From FAIR

Distorting the Venezuelan media story

The story is framed in U.S. news media as a simple matter of censorship: Prominent Venezuelan TV station RCTV is being silenced by the authoritarian government of President Hugo Chávez, who is punishing the station for its political criticism of his government.

...

In keeping with the media script that has bad guy Chávez brutishly silencing good guys in the democratic opposition, all these articles skimmed lightly over RCTV's history, the Venezuelan government's explanation for the license denial and the process that led to it.

...

RCTV and other commercial TV stations were key players in the April 2002 coup that briefly ousted Chávez's democratically elected government. During the short-lived insurrection, coup leaders took to commercial TV airwaves to thank the networks. "I must thank Venevisión and RCTV," one grateful leader remarked in an appearance captured in the Irish film The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. The film documents the networks’ participation in the short-lived coup, in which stations put themselves to service as bulletin boards for the coup—hosting coup leaders, silencing government voices and rallying the opposition to a march on the Presidential Palace that was part of the coup plotters strategy.

The whole story

[billbuckhead]

1. Many of these same people are silent when liberal media in the USA is stifled

Unbelievable yet very telling about what really goes in a "managed democracy".

[Solo_in_MD]

3. How is the government stifling liberal media?

When last did a US court order troops to sezie media outlets?

[Selatius]

4. Heh, that never happened. In the US, news outlets are bought up by corporations. n/t

[RB TexLa]

5. Oh, now don't be silly. It happened this week the actor that left the TV show

Rove did that. Don't you know how to put 7 and pi together with the Illuminati?

[billbuckhead]

6. They're switching public radio stations to religious stations

Much of corporate America boycotted Air America.

Phil Donohue was dropped form MSNBS even though he had the highest ratings.

NBC/Jack Welch fired reporters who were fair to Gore.

Bill Moyers was purged from PBS and Dan Rather from CBS.

Just a start.

[Solo_in_MD]

7. Those are private/market based not overt government actions against freedom of speech

- For example, Air America was not a COMMERICAL SUCCESS in its first few incarnations, hopefully that will change. However, there was no Government action backed by the military involved
-

[Clark2008]

8. How do we know it wasn't a commercial success?

I read reports that businesses wouldn't advertise on it - high ratings or not - out of fear the fundie/conservative nuts would boycott their businesses and it wasn't ushered out into the South and mid-West at all to drive any numbers beyond "blue bubble" drive-time.

AAR never got a chance to be successful, if you ask me - for the reasons stated above.

That said, you're correct that it wasn't government, per se, that restricted speech, but this government's bully pulpit (bully being the operative word) is known for making the lives of those who run afoul against it into a living hell.

[Solo_in_MD]

9. Commerical success is defined by the bottom line not ratings

Same thing happened to Imus...no advertisers, no air time, which means its was a commercial failure.

AAR had as much a chance to be sucessful as any new media venture. Which means it had to attract advertisers and listeners.

I have seen nothing (credible or otherwise) to indicate that the Gov opposed AAR. Why should they have? It was never significant force in politics.

[Clark2008]

10. I didn't say the government opposed AAR.

I said rightwing types - like those in our government - are such bullies who influence their flock that any potential advertisers were scared to advertise on AAR for fear of boycotts (and yelling and screaming) of these fundie nut types.

[Solo_in_MD]

14. Media is a green eye shade business

The money is there or it is not. The fundies have established the boundaries of their economic power and its well known to the business community. The fundies did not kill AAR, it just did not have the market appeal to make it. Those who support it should learn those lessons and reshape it for a more successful reprise. Whining that the fundies somehow killed it is nonsense.

I think/hope that there is a viable market for liberal talk radio, but so far the market is saying no, at least as how it is currently being packaged.

[billbuckhead]

11. There is no firewall between our government and private enterprise in the USA

Rove get what he wants from private enterprise most of the time.

[Solo_in_MD]

13. Odd, that not how the Gov or industry looks at it

I've been in both and do not concur with your assessment either. Hyperbole is no substitute for evidence

[billbuckhead]

15. So Karl Rove never told big media to support Bush in return for favors?

Faux News isn't a de facto press agency for the Bush White House?

[MrPrax]

2. US media was factor

in the US coup...remember that one?

So why talk about Chavez when the US is falling apart? Your an American, right?

Is Venezuela suppose to be a NEW model for NEW left- anti-corporatism to counterpoint a advanced totalitarian power like the US, that actually threatens to extinguish life on the planet?

Just curious as to the HOWTO script works on the aspirations of left wing Americans that worry more about Chavez's government that their own seized BS government that causes the problems for people in Venezuela?

Any imperial/demo connection regarding the part about a global slave state ruled by people like Chavez or Bush or any other 'champion' that might waddled down the 'freedom' runway?

[Vidar]

12. We're just recycling the dirty tricks we used to overthrow Castro,

and failing just as miserably. Viva Chavez!