Noam Chomsky, Scholars Ask NY Times Public Editor to Investigate Bias on Honduras and Venezuela

[Catherina]

Last edited Wed May 15, 2013, 03:14 AM - Edit history (1)

Petition link is here: http://www.nytexaminer.com/2013/05/petition-on-venezuela-honduras/ , at the bottom of the page.

Noam Chomsky, Scholars Ask NY Times Public Editor to Investigate Bias on Honduras and Venezuela

Keane Bhatt
Manufacturing Contempt
May 14, 2013

The following petition, signed by over a dozen experts on Latin America and the media, was sent today to Margaret Sullivan, Public Editor of The New York Times:

May 14, 2013

Dear Margaret Sullivan,

In a recent column (4/12/13), you observed:

Although individual words and phrases may not amount to very much in the great flow produced each day, language matters. When news organizations accept the government’s way of speaking, they seem to accept the government’s way of thinking. In The Times, these decisions carry even more weight.

In light of this comment we encourage you to compare The New York Times’s characterization of the leadership of the late Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and that of Roberto Micheletti and Porfirio Lobo in Honduras.

In the past four years, the Times has referred to Chávez as an "autocrat," "despot," "authoritarian ruler" and a "caudillo" in its news coverage. When opinion pieces are included, the Times has published at least fifteen separate articles employing such language, depicting Chávez as a "dictator" or "strongman." Over the same period—since the June 28, 2009 military overthrow of elected president Manuel Zelaya of Honduras—Times contributors have never used such terms to describe Micheletti, who presided over the coup regime after Zelaya’s removal, or Porfirio Lobo, who succeeded him. Instead, the paper has variously described them in its news coverage as "interim," "de facto,” and "new."

Porfirio Lobo assumed the presidency after winning an election held under Micheletti's coup government. The elections were marked by repression and censorship, and international monitors, like the Carter Center, boycotted them. Since the coup, Honduras's military and police have routinely killed civilians.

Over the past 14 years Venezuela has had 16 elections or referenda deemed free and fair by leading international authorities. Jimmy Carter #t=43m33" target="_blank">praised Venezuela’s elections, among the 92 the Carter Center has monitored, as having "a very wonderful voting system." He concluded that "the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world." While some human rights groups have criticized the Chávez government, Venezuela has had no pattern of state security forces murdering civilians, as is the case in Honduras.

Whatever one thinks of the democratic credentials of Chávez’s presidency—and we recognize that reasonable people can disagree about it—there is nothing in the record, when compared with that of his Honduran counterparts, to warrant the discrepancies in the Times’s coverage of the two governments.

We urge you to examine this disparity in coverage and language use, particularly as it may appear to your readers to track all too closely the U.S. government’s positions regarding the Honduran government (which it supports) and the Venezuelan government (which it opposes)—precisely the syndrome you describe and warn against in your column.

Sincerely,
Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor Emeritus, MIT
Edward Herman, Professor Emeritus of Finance, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
Greg Grandin, Professor of History, New York University
Sujatha Fernandes, Professor of Sociology, Queens College, CUNY Graduate Center
Corey Robin, Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College, CUNY Graduate Center
Adrienne Pine, Professor of Anthropology, American University
Mark Weisbrot, Ph.D, Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research
Miguel Tinker Salas, Professor of History and Latin American Studies, Pomona College
Katherine Hite, Professor of Political Science, Vassar College
Steve Ellner, Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, Universidad de Oriente
George Ciccariello-Maher, Professor of Political Science, Drexel University
Daniel Kovalik, Professor of International Human Rights, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Gregory Wilpert, Ph.D, author of "Changing Venezuela by Taking Power"
Joseph Nevins, Professor of Geography, Vassar College
Nazih Richani, Director of Latin American Studies, Kean University
Steven Volk, Professor of History, Oberlin College
Aviva Chomsky, Professor of History, Salem State University
Keane Bhatt, North American Congress on Latin America
Chris Spannos, New York Times eXaminer
Michael Albert, ZNet

Affiliations are used for identification purposes only.

Readers can add their names to the petition at New York Times eXaminer, or contact Ms. Sullivan directly at [e-mail]. Please limit emails to 300 words, and follow the guidelines listed at the public editor's web page.

*

Below is a list of 16 Times articles that served as the basis of an analysis piece from which this petition was derived. None of the terms below (autocrat, despot, authoritarian, ruler, strongman, caudillo, dictator, tyrant, sultan) have been applied to either of Honduras's post-coup regimes:

News:

"Shy U.S. Intellectual Created Playbook Used in a Revolution," Sheryl Gay Stolberg, 2/16/11: "Autocrats abhor Mr. Sharp. In 2007, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela denounced him."

"The Arab Spring Finds Itself Upstaged by a New Season," Neil MacFarquhar, 9/22/11: "In fact, this year’s gathering was suffering from something of a despot deficit, or at least the ranks of haranguers raging against the evils of capitalism and the West have been drastically thinned by revolutions or disease. President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, undergoing chemotherapy treatment in Cuba, literally mailed it in . . ."

"Charges Against U.S.-Aided Groups Come With History of Distrust in Egypt," Scott Shane and Ron Nixon, 2/6/12: "Authoritarian rulers from Caracas to Moscow and beyond have long viewed pro-democracy groups financed by the United States with deep suspicion, regularly denouncing them as meddlers or spies and sometimes harassing their workers."

"A Polarizing Figure Who Led a Movement," Simon Romero, 3/5/13: "He maintained an almost visceral connection with the poor, tapping into their resentments, while strutting like the strongman in a caudillo novel. . . . He grew obsessed with changing Venezuela’s laws and regulations to ensure that he could be re-elected indefinitely and become, indeed, a caudillo."

Opinion:

"The Winner in Honduras: Chavez," Alvaro Vargas Llosa, 6/30/09: "The United States’ more measured response (to Honduras's coup d'etat), and the low-profile stance taken by some South American governments, have been lost amid the high-stakes campaign launched by Venezuela’s caudillo."

"Real Men Tax Gas," Thomas Friedman, 9/19/09: "Such a tax would make our national-security healthier by . . . increasing our leverage over petro-dictators, like those in Iran, Russia and Venezuela, through shrinking their oil incomes."

"As Ugly as It Gets," Thomas Friedman, 5/25/10: &quot Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva) regularly praises Venezuela’s strongman Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro, the Cuban dictator — and now Ahmadinejad — while denouncing Colombia, one of the great democratic success stories. . ."

"Wallflowers at the Revolution," Frank Rich, 2/5/11: "More damning, Morozov also demonstrates how the digital tools so useful to citizens in a free society can be co-opted by tech-savvy dictators, police states and garden-variety autocrats to spread propaganda and to track (and arrest) conveniently networked dissidents, from Iran to Venezuela."

"Why Tyrants Love the Murdoch Scandal," Bill Keller, 7/24/11: "And autocrats will be autocrats, with or without our bad example. Robert Mugabe and Hugo Chávez would be just as hostile to an unfettered press if no British journalist had ever hacked a phone."

"The Stomachs of Strongmen," Ann Louise Bardach, 8/21/11: "Ironically, the hemisphere’s most indomitable strongmen and determined foes of the United States and free market economics have both been felled, at least for now, by abdominal woes . . . The symbiosis between Cuba’s emeritus or former (and in most ways, still de facto) commander in chief and the Venezuelan colonel-turned-oil-sultan is the most powerful and fascinating political alliance in the Americas."

"The Realest Reality Show in the World," Rachel Nolan, 5/6/12: "It’s hard to imagine another political figure with the combination of manic exhibitionism and entertainer’s stamina required to star in this sort of show, never mind the autocratic control required to make it, literally, must-see TV in his home country. . . . 'Aló Presidente' has that same wacky quality. The difference is that Mrs. Mouth wasn’t the autocratic leader of an oil-rich country of 29 million people."

"Velvet Gloves Over Iron Fists," Dwight Garner, 6/10/12: "The neo-authoritarians, from Vladimir Putin in Russia to Hugo Chávez in Venezuela to China’s more faceless technocrats, are still brutal, but they have learned to adapt."

"How Hugo Chavez Became Irrelevant," Francisco Toro, 10/5/12: "Mr. Chávez’s autocratic excesses came to look unnecessary and inexcusable to Venezuelans. . . . With oversight institutions neutered, the president now runs the country as a personal fief . . . Chávez-style socialism looks like the worst of both worlds: both more authoritarian and less effective at reducing poverty than the Brazilian alternative. . . . Mr. Capriles pitches himself as an ambitious but pragmatic social reformer committed to ending the Chávez era’s authoritarian excesses."

"The Missing President," Alberto Barrera Tyska and Christina Marcano, 1/22/13: "In the name of the dispossessed, he revived the ghost of the South American military caudillo, creating a new version of that traditional strongman. ... There is one element of the Chávez leadership, however, that is no different from any of Latin America's other personality-driven authoritarian regimes: its messianic nature."

"Hugo Chavez," Editorial Board, 3/6/13: "Hugo Chávez dominated Venezuelan politics for 14 years with his charismatic personality, populist policies and authoritarian methods . . . his legacy is stained by the undermining of democratic institutions."

"Death of a Strongman," Jonathan Tepperman, 4/5/13: "Finally, after years of riding the sugar binge of Chávez’s populist politics, which left the country “flabby, enfeebled and import-­addicted,” much of the public lost enthusiasm for their latter-day caudillo. . . . efforts to underscore the inherent absurdity of autocrats and their personality cults are nothing new."


Keane Bhatt is an activist in Washington, D.C. He has worked in the United States and Latin America on a variety of campaigns related to community development and social justice. His analyses and opinions have appeared in a range of outlets, including NPR, The Nation, The St. Petersburg Times, and CNN En Español. He is the author of the NACLA blog “Manufacturing Contempt,” which critically analyzes the U.S. press and its portrayal of the hemisphere. Connect with his blog on Twitter: @KeaneBhatt

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[Bacchus4.0]

1. ahhh poor baby

Porfilio was a candidate from another party and had nothing to do with the coup. Michiletti willingly gave up power something Chavez would never do.

In addition, the Venezuelan security forces are notorious for murdering civilians. Choamsky doesn't do himself any favors by ignoring information confirmed by Ven's own government.

FAIL!!!!!! Catherina

Extrajudicial executions

Another aspect highlighted in the report provided by Cofavic before the Inter-American Commission is the participation of police officers in the so-called extrajudicial executions. The Venezuelan Government estimates that between 20 % and 25 % of the police officers have been involved in criminal activities. In the same sense, the very Public Ministry indicates that between 2000 and 2008, a number of 1,000 annual cases of deaths due to abuse of authority were recorded. In the meantime, in 2010, the very Ministry of Interior and Justice recorded 3,492 cases of killings perpetrated by the police.

http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/121124/no-human-rights-in-venezuela

[Catherina]

2. Lol, in one corner of the ring we have scholars, in the other

we have Bacchus and his opposition talking points.

I'm afraid the "FAIL" is all yours.

[Bacchus4.0]

5. not the opposition chama, but Venezuelas own admission on police murders

not sure why you and Noam are contradicting the administration. Thats not what a good chavista does.

[Catherina]

7. Lol, you have nothing but your usual attacks.

Last edited Tue May 14, 2013, 07:39 PM - Edit history (1)

Well at least you've come a step up from calling other DUers "Chavista pigs".

And I'm not your "chama", your 'girl'. Do try to tone down your insults, they only make you look even worse.

You'll excuse me for not wasting my time with your comments.

[Wilms]

3. Perhaps I'm missing your point.

snip

In the past four years, the Times has referred to Chávez as an "autocrat," "despot," "authoritarian ruler" and a "caudillo" in its news coverage. When opinion pieces are included, the Times has published at least fifteen separate articles employing such language, depicting Chávez as a "dictator" or "strongman." Over the same period—since the June 28, 2009 military overthrow of elected president Manuel Zelaya of Honduras—Times contributors have never used such terms to describe Micheletti, who presided over the coup regime after Zelaya’s removal, or Porfirio Lobo, who succeeded him. Instead, the paper has variously described them in its news coverage as "interim," "de facto,” and "new."

snip

Porfirio Lobo assumed the presidency after winning an election held under Micheletti's coup government. The elections were marked by repression and censorship, and international monitors, like the Carter Center, boycotted them. Since the coup, Honduras's military and police have routinely killed civilians.

snip

Over the past 14 years Venezuela has had 16 elections or referenda deemed free and fair by leading international authorities. Jimmy Carter praised Venezuela’s elections, among the 92 the Carter Center has monitored, as having "a very wonderful voting system." He concluded that "the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world." While some human rights groups have criticized the Chávez government, Venezuela has had no pattern of state security forces murdering civilians, as is the case in Honduras.

snip

[Bacchus4.0]

4. read again, he said that Venezuela has no history of security force killings

thats false and the Ven government even admitted that.

Porfilio participated as a candidate in the planned elections. He had nothing to do with the coup. He seems to be an ineffective president but regardless he was legitimately elected.

[SamKnause]

6. Hugo Chavez

Signed and sent.

Thank you for the post and link to the petition.

My heart aches everyday for the loss of this great man.

[Catherina]

8. Thanks for signing it.

Mine does too. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. The song is written and sung by Sylvio Rodriguez. He originally wrote it for Fidel but it's being used for Hugo too. I find the song simply beautiful. I had a video of Chavez singing a few verses but can't find it now

Te molesta mi amor?
Mi amor de juventud
y mi amor es un arte en virtud
Te molesta mi amor?
Mi amor sin antifaz
y mi amor es un arte de paz.
(Does my love bother you?
My love of youth,
my love, an art of virtue.
Does my love bother you?
My love without a mask,
my love, an art of peace.)

Te molesta mi amor?
Mi amor de humanidad
y mi amor es un arte en su edad
Te molesta mi amor?
Mi amor de surtidor
y mi amor es un arte mayor
(Does my love bother you?
My love of humanity,
my love, an art whose time has come.
Does my love bother you?
My fountain of love,
my love, my greater art.)

Mi amor es mi prenda encantada
es mi extensa morada
es mi espacio sin fin
mi amor, no precisa frontera
como la primavera
no prefiere jardin
Mi amor, no es amor de mercado
porque un amor sangrado
no es amor de lucrar
mi amor es todo cuanto tengo
si lo niego o lo vendo
para que respirar…
(My love is an enchanted jewel,
my extended home,
my infinite space,
my love needs no frontier,
any more than springtime needs gardens.
My love is not for sale,
since a love that has bled
knows no gain,
My love is all I have,
if I deny it or sell it
why breathe.)
Te molesta mi amor?…
Mi amor no es amor de uno solo
sino alma de todo
lo que urge sanar
mi amor es un amor de abajo
que el devenir me trajo
para hacerlo empinar
(My love isn't love for one person alone,
but the soul of everything,
it heals.
My love is a love from below,
which grew and raised itself up)

Mi amor, el mas enamorado
es el mas olvidado
en su antiguo dolor
mi amor abre pecho a la muerte
y despeña su suerte
por un tiempo mejor
mi amor, este amor aguerrido
es un sol encendido
por quien merece amor…
(My love, the most in love,
is the most forgotten
in his ancient pain
My love opens its chest to death,
throws in its lot
for a better world
My love, battle-hardened,
is a sun set alight,
for he who deserves love)

Silvio says at the end:
“I don’t know whether he believes in heaven on earth, but what he does believe is that it is impossible not to fight for it. That is what lies behind his sense of dignity, his belief that his principles will prevail, his vision of history”

[SamKnause]

9. Hugo Chavez 2

That was beautiful.

I enjoyed it immensely.

He was filled with so much love for his fellow human beings, and it showed.

I wish the leaders of the world were 1/2 as understanding of the issues facing the majority of the people in the world.

President Chavez saw the problems and did his best to solve them.

We have psychopaths in charge of most governments, corporations and banks.

President Chavez always gave me hope that the world could change for the better.

[Catherina]

10. I'm glad you enjoyed it

I wish the same thing you do for the same reasons. I still have that hope too, thanks to great men like him.

[naaman fletcher]

11. We have psychopaths in charge of most governments, corporations and banks.

The sad thing is that's not just hyperbole. It is literally true.

[SamKnause]

13. Hugo Chavez 3

Very sad and truly terrifying.

The top few are literally robbing the masses and causing unimaginable misery around the globe.

There is absolutely nothing they will not do for money and power.

[Zorro]

12. No surprise seeing Wilpert's name on the list

He's a venezuelanalysis.com co-founder, and married to the Consul General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in NYC.

[cprise]

14. Petition link:

http://www.nytexaminer.com/2013/05/petition-on-venezuela-honduras/

At the bottom of the page.

[Catherina]

15. Thank you!

I just added it to the top of the OP. Thanks

[Judi Lynn]

16. Thank you, great petition, well deserved.

NY Times needs to learn how they are hated by the people they have reamed through their dishonesty.

"Liberal media." Oh, my god.