Off to Caracas!
By Bruce B. Brugmann
Last November, as attentive readers of this blog will remember, I was declared non grata (not welcome) in Caracas, Venezuela, on a special mission of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) to check on President Hugo Chavez's accelerating crackdown on the news media.
We had been invited to come by the Venezuelan press who had hoped our mission would put international pressure on Chavez to guarantee press freedom during the upcoming referendum giving Chavez a lifetime presidency. On the first morning, our delegation found Chavez had declared us all non grata in a half-page advertisement from the Venezuelan National Assembly, in the big morning Caracas daily paper El Universal.
Today, as I prepare to fly out tomorrow for the spring IAPA assembly in Caracas this weekend,
I find that I am a "media terrorist." Chavez has scheduled a counter convention close to our hotel called a "Latin American Meeting Against Media Terrorism." Over the weekend, Chavez announced, Caracas "will be converted into the world capital of the struggle against media terrorism. It is necessary to discuss themes such as this," Chavez said, "since media terrorism utilizes the means of communication--radio, press, television, to generate war, violence, fear and anxiety in our peoples."
Well, we must have done some good last time around on our November mission. Chavez lost the election, even though the countryside and the airwaves were covered with his pictures and campaign slogans. This time around, things may be just as newsworthy. I'll keep you posted. B3
Click here to read about IAPA's Nov. 17 mission to Caracas.
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Comments (3)
Though I agree that Chavez is unhinged and he tends to see things in black and white, I think that it is understandable that he has such an antagonistic view towards certain elements of the media. The things that the non-government-run media does would be unheard of here in the U.S.
For example, the major media chains played an active role in the coup that temporarily overthew Chavez. In addition, mainstream media outlets in Venezuela regularly call him a monkey. Can you imagine anybody in the press calling Condoleeza Rice a monkey? They would be burned at the stake.
Posted by expatriate | March 27, 2008 12:46 PM
Well, your BS was easy enough to debunk: "We had been invited to come by the Venezuelan press who had hoped our mission would put international pressure on Chavez to guarantee press freedom during the upcoming referendum giving Chavez a lifetime presidency."
No, Chavez has promoted no legislation that would make him President for Life. You're obviously just another media whore.
In other news, I may be the only candidate for public office in the U.S. who actively supports Hugo Chavez. I'm going to use my campaign to express solidarity with Chavez and help promote his Bolivarian Revolution.
I wouldn't exactly call myself a "socialist;" I belive in a mixed economy. Then again, Venezuela appears to have a mixed economy as well.
Finally, a little food for thought. Imagine if someone conducted an international survey to determine the best loved and most hated people in the world. I don't think there's any doubt that George W. Bush would rank as the most hated. He's truly a global terrorist and all around assh*le.
I don't know who would be rated the best loved, but Hugo Chavez would be a strong contender, and rightly so.
Viva Chavez!
Posted by David Blomstrom | March 27, 2008 04:47 PM
Blomstrom, you sir, are a monkey.
If you don't agree with Chavez, you're chastised now. In the future, you'll be imprisoned. Be glad you're not stuck in terrorista-sponsoring Venezuela right now. Of course, you'd be one of his henchmen, so you'd probably be fine.
Blomstrom, you moron, move to Venezuela.
Posted by jonny wonder | March 31, 2008 03:45 PM