participated in the 2002 coup d'etat attempt--mainly Globovision, in addition to RCTV--but I'm glad he got one of them off the air!
It should never be forgotten what these repressive, 1%-er liars, coupsters and utter hypocrites tried to do to Venezuela. It has been called the "first media coup" (although U.S./2000 also qualifies). The corporate media in Venezuela were ACTIVE participants in the plot to kidnap the elected president, threaten his life, suspend the constitution, the courts, the national assembly and all civil rights, encourage riots and murder, AND BAN MEMBERS OF CHAVEZ'S GOVERNMENT FROM THE PUBLIC AIRWAVES.
"Free speech" was for RCTV and Globovision and FOR NO ONE ELSE!
It should also never be forgotten that private corporations use the PUBLIC airwaves AT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE AND THEIR DULY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. No one--NO ONE!--has a "right" to broadcast--let alone to organize a coup d'etat and broadcast lies and propaganda on behalf of overthrowing the government and democracy itself. EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD regulates use of the PUBLIC airwaves. At one time here, we had good regulation, which required "equal time" for opposing opinions if media moguls injected themselves into public policy; required public service programs of every broadcaster; and forbade media monopolies. We need to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine" HERE. Broadcasting is a LICENSE to be EARNED and NOT a "right."
It is no surprise to me that RCTV is trying to claw its way back onto the air in Venezuela, to organize, run and propagandize for yet more rightwing coups. It is also no surprise that they think they can get away with this by using the OAS, a U.S. tool based in Washington DC. If the OAS were really interested in democracy in Latin America, it would have condemned these media moguls for their roles in the 2002 coup attempt and called for strict regulation of the media in the public interest!
We need a revolution against the corporate media! They are no more supporters of "free speech" than Goebbels was. They are propagandists for fascism and war. They want "free speech" for the tyrants of this world--the banksters, the transglobal corporations and war profiteers--and NO SPEECH for anyone else.
Chavez fought the good fight against these bastards and opened up the public discussion in Venezuela to the poor and their advocates! To the excluded. To the oppressed. To those with new ideas. To those seeking the common good. It is no wonder that the corporate media sought to shut him down and can't stop slandering and lying about him even in his grave.
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