PRO STATE NEWS AGENCIES II
Saturday 4, January 2003

[and this was my reply with added comments on the news vision from here]

The AP is rather strange. In another list somebody sent me an AP article [the one from Mother Jones, see recent posts] that was clearly tendentious and that I had no trouble pointing out major flaws able to invalidate the article essence. Then again it was a free lance journalist so what is the point to try? They are usually a mix of reporting and opinion so I suppose that everybody is entitled to their interpretations of the facts. Assuming that all the facts are honestly reported.

Yesterday night a journalist from a major paper in Spain [El Mundo] was on private network [Globovision]. He said a few interesting things:
1) he had never seen something as Venezuela.
2) he had changed his view on the troubles here since for him it is clearly a revolt of the middle class against a socialist attempt to control society. There was no other way to interpret a situation that is lasting already 1 month.
3) he could not believe that journalists in Venezuela had to wear bullet proof jackets and other paraphernalia in a situation which is clearly not a war zone, yet. That is, he has realized that chavistas target Venezuelan journalists. On purpose. Putting them in more danger than in a war zone. Even with his Spaniard credentials he had to run for cover and was gassed.
4) More damming, he said that "Anglo journalists" (sic) refused to see the situation otherwise than a black/white, poor/rich conflict and that European journalists were having more problems as to how these journalists were reporting the news (as a matter of fact the reporting tone is changing, even in France!)

It is unexplainable for me why CNN is trying to maintain an "objectivity" which is now putting in question its objectivity. I still think that CNN Spanish is more aware than CNN English and I wonder why.... The only thing I can come up with is that the "legalist" attitude of "Anglo" journalists make them see Chavez as duly elected and why can't people wait for next election.

Thus to the first point of Craig. Chavez does not want to go to elections, ever, unless he is sure of the outcome. He is pretty much forced to go to martial law to stop February referendum as he is running out of legal options.

Daniel
particularly worried tonight.

[I kept the signature of that reply, reflecting the obvious]