Free Speech
The Committee to Protect Journalists
Chávez is no enemy of free speech
On Saturday, June 4, 2007, the Christian Science Monitor published an article written by Bart Jones defending the government of Hugo Chávez for shutting down Radio Caracas Televisión. This story is noteworthy for two reasons:
- Bart Jones takes a very different position that almost all other news sources in the United States.
- If you believe what Bart Jones says, you may have difficulty finding a candidate you can trust in the 2008 Presidential election.
The main points of the story are:
- RCTV (Radio Caracas Televisión) is Venezuela's oldest private television network controlled by wealthy, anti-Chávez critics.
- RCTV manipulated the news before, during, and after the April 2002 coup d'etat blaming Chávez supporters for scores of deaths and injuries.
- Hugo Chávez let RCTV continue to air for five years after the coup attempt.
- The anti-Chávez side of the story is getting headlines around the world. The pro-Chávez side is barely heard.
- If similar events happened in the United States, the broadcaster would be shut down immediately and its owners jailed for sedition.
Note: The events involving RCTV that Bart Jones writes about are corroborated by the film The Revolution Will Not Be Televised produced by the Irish Film Board. You can view it on this site.
Read the Chávez is no enemy of free speech article.
To better understand the RCTV issue specifically and the issue of licensing and ownership of the airwaves generally, an article written by Marcelo Colussi on 4 June, 2007 called The Nonrenewal of Venezuela's RCTV shines a light on these issues. It is an interview with Venezuelan historian and political analyst Vladimir Acosta.
Articles such as "US Senate 'deeply concerned' over Venezuela TV closing" discuss the bi-partisan U.S. Senate Resolution introduced by Democrat Christopher Dodd and Republican Richard Lugar. The resolution expresses "profound concern" over the RCTV issue. The Bill was co-sponsored by Joseph Biden, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain.
Questions
- Do you think this story by Bart Jones is fair and accurate? Note that you'd be in a better position to answer this question if you view The Revolution Will Not Be Televised video.
- During the 2-day 2002 coup, Pedro Carmona disbanded the Supreme Court, the National Assembly, and the Constitution. Why do you think he did this?
- Do you think Carmona would have reinstated these in time, given that the majority of Venezuelans are pro-Chávez?
- Would a television network that acted as RCTV did during the coup be allowed to operate in the United States for 5 years until its license ran out?
- How do you feel about 2008 Presidential candidates sponsoring and co-sponsoring the Senate Resolution?