Venezuela Rejects Press Association's Condemnation

[chlamor]

Venezuela Rejects Press Association’s Condemnation


Monday, Mar 14, 2005

By: Sarah Wagner – Venezuelanalysis.com

Caracas, Venezuela, March 14, 2005—The Venezuelan government rejected a report released on Saturday by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) that harshly criticized recently passed laws and claimed that freedom of expression in Venezuela was in jeopardy. "In no other country has such a total and absolute press freedom been seen," responded Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Relations, Alí Rodríguez, adding that the IAPA, "does not have the right to interfere in the affairs of this country."

The IAPA is an association of newspaper owners based in Miami. According to the report, the recent passing of the Law of Social Responsibility in Radio and Television, the reform of the Penal Code, and the alleged domination of all branches of government to the will of the executive have given rise to self-censorship in the media.  The report goes on to condemn the Venezuelan government for "reducing democratic liberties and guarantees granted to the citizens by law and with that destroying freedom of expression and freedom of the press."

During the organization's meeting in Panama City, the regional Vice President, Juan Manuel Carmona Perera, denounced Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez for his alleged "totalitarian control over the media in order to impose his political project."  Before more than one hundred directors and news outlet owners, Carmona stated that, "in Venezuela Chávez rules the radio, the television, the newspapers, and the internet with an iron fist." After accusing the Venezuelan President of altering the Constitution in order to "limit freedom of expression in this country and to silence the voices of the opposition," he stated that Venezuela is "a Marxist-inspired dictatorial regime.”

<snip>

Argentina’s President Néstor Kircher who, along with Cuban President Fidel Castro, was also harshly criticized by the IAPA as a danger to freedom of expression, maintains that the IAPA only looks out for large, corporate interests. "This association, so concerned with seeing how they are going to distribute public funds, says that it is necessary to give them to the largest media," he noted, adding, "we will thus eliminate the thoughts of the smaller media because, according to the IAPA, publicity should be distributed according to the capacity of sales of the media."

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1546

[Dhalgren]

1. I am sick to death of these corporate fronts like IAPA.

This is all just part of their plan to try and isolate Chavez and any other leader who shows more concern for the common people than for corporate interests. Will these fucks never stop until everyone on the planet is a brain-dead stooge, who worships the BEFEE at the local Wal Mart - the shrine of the ruling class?

[bemildred]

2. "The IAPA is an association of newspaper owners based in Miami."

Bwaaahaaahaa.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Make that a double Bwaaahaaahaa.

Miami or bust

When Latin America's leaders gather in the US next month, they must oppose rampant free trade

Naomi Klein
Monday October 27, 2003
The Guardian

When massive political protests forced Bolivia's president to resign earlier this month, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada fled to a place where he knew he would find a sympathetic ear. "I'm here in Miami trying to recover from the shock and shame," the ex-president told reporters, after being unseated by a revolt against his plan to sell the country's gas to the US. Fortunately for Mr Sanchez de Lozada, there are plenty of other Miami residents who know just how shocking and shameful it feels to lose power to the leftwing resurgence in Latin America. So many, in fact, that he could form a local support group for sufferers of post-revolutionary stress disorder.
Possible members: Venezuela's ex-president, Carlos Andres Perez, who started living part-time in Miami after he was impeached in 1993 on corruption charges, and fellow Venezuelan- Miamista Carlos Fernandez, one of the leaders of the failed coup against President Hugo Chavez. Ecuador's ex-president, Gustavo Noboa, might also stop by, since he tried to flee to Miami in August to avoid a corruption investigation at home. To bring a sense of history, the beach house bitch session could be filled out by Francisco Hernandez. He took part in the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, and, as president of the Cuban American National Foundation, Hernandez has been plotting the overthrow of Fidel Castro ever since.

For decades, Miami has been the preferred retirement community for Latin America's regurgitated rightwing: when the people spit out the politicians responsible for keeping them in poverty, the ex-rulers are frequently swallowed up by Miami. So powerful is the Florida factor in Latin American politics that Joao Pedro Stedile, one of the founders of Brazil's powerful Landless People's Movement (MST), half-jokingly told an audience in Toronto last week that if Brazil's elites continue to undermine reforms promised by President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, they too would find themselves looking for a condo in South Beach.
(snip/...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1071867,00.html

[IndianaGreen]

6. Do I smell Miami gusanos??????

What's next for Bush? Is he going to claim that Venezuela attacked an American radio station, as Hitler did when he claimed that the Poles had attacked a German radio station in Gleiwitz?

[chlamor]

3. US Needs to Export ABC,NBC,CNN,CBS,FOX

and other various brands of the same sugared cereals to Venezuela. And Don't forget N-National P-Propaganda R-Radio

Or we could just mail them pre-packaged news courtesy of the Rendon Group.

[MrPrax]

5. In a Perfect World...

They might be right...

but 'I spy with my little eye', something that is...close to home.

"domination of all branches of government to the will of the executive have given rise to self-censorship in the media"...hmmm
"totalitarian control over the media in order to impose his political project."...hmmm
"limit freedom of expression in this country and to silence the voices of the opposition,"...hmmm

hmmm...nawh 'market-driven' media models don't exhibit similar characteristics...that's just crazy

[punpirate]

7. Denying the free press?

This might put that argument to the lie:

http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata231.htm

I wonder if Juan Manuel Carmona Perera is related to Pedro Carmona?

Even if there's no direct familial association, Pedro Carmona felt very comfortable with the private press in Venezuela:

"According to Venezuelan sources, on Thursday, April 11, 2002, when Chavistas and anti-Chavistas clashed violently, leaving 25 dead (most on Chavez' side), Pedro Carmona was not at the march but comfortably lounging in the Venevision TV bunker with the president of the Episcopal Conference, Baltazar Porras, newspaper businessman, Rafael Poleo, and other figures."

http://www.nmpnews.net/article.php?story=20040623211445430&mode=print

Carmona Perera is associated with both El Nacional and El Impulso, both of which papers have been editorial supporters of Pedro Carmona:

http://mondediplo.com/2002/08/10venezuela

I would say that the "free press" in Venezuela has its own agenda which has little to do with democracy.

[bpilgrim]

8. is that the same org that said there was no bias in overal M$MW coverage

of IRAQ :crazy:

peace