Hugo Chavez suppressing the media and rigging his re-election...

He made no bones about his intent:

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez backed the possibility of holding a national referendum, if he's re-elected, on whether to shut down private television stations that he has accused of subversive activities.

Chavez's comments late Thursday came amid rising tensions between the government and the country's largely opposition-aligned private media ahead of Sunday's vote.


www.cnn.com

And followed thru:

CARACAS, Venezuela — Officials identifying themselves as members of a state regulatory agency forced the U.S.-based Spanish-language TV network Telemundo to halt transmission Sunday of its presidential election coverage.

"We're surprised by this," said Pablo Iacub, a member of Telemundo's eight-person team, which arrived last week. "We only want to do our work," he said by telephone.

At least six people who identified themselves as members of the National Commission of Telecommunications (CONATEL), which regulates electronic media in Venezuela, arrived Sunday afternoon at the hotel from which Telemundo had been transmitting since Friday, said Iacub.

The officials said the network needed permission to transmit and lacking such could not, he said. Iacub said he was unaware of such a requirement but that the Telemundo journalists were accredited with Venezuela's national elections council.

www.chron.com...

Netting the expected results:

Venezuela votes today, with polls suggesting incumbent Hugo Chavez will be easily reelected to a third term with a lead of anything up to 20 point over his centrist challenger, Manuel Rosales.

His victory will be cemented by people such as Mrs Ibarra, for if Mr Chavez's vision for the future of Venezuela was first forged during his years in the armed forces - and then further burnished as he cooled his heels in jail following a failed 1992 coup attempt - it is in the hard-pressed barrios of Caracas that such a vision is now being realised.

news.independent.co.uk...

Truly amazing. Hugo Chavez thumbs his nose at the concept of of a free press and an open election and the usual players are absent. Where's Jimmy carter? Where's Kofi Annan? Are they planning a surprise victory party at the UN on the grave of democracy?

Why is there almost no coverage here in the U.S?

Charlie Rangel... Where art thou?

Castro Monkeys, not just for voting the Caracas cemetery anymore...


[edit on 4/12/2006 by Mirthful Me]

Originally posted by Mirthful Me


Truly amazing. Hugo Chavez thumbs his nose at the concept of of a free press and an open election and the usual players are absent. Where's Jimmy carter? Where's Kofi Annan? Are they planning a surprise victory party at the UN on the grave of democracy?

Why is there almost no coverage here in the U.S?

Charlie Rangel... Where art thou?

Castro Monkeys, not just for voting the Caracas cemetery anymore...

Remember the Yugo? The communist attempt at manufacturing cars back in the eighties.

For some Yugo jokes: balkansnet.org...

Oh, sorry, you said Hugo---

Well Hugo Chaves is another leftwing screw-up backed by other leftwing screw-ups as those you mentioned and many others.

But like his good buddy Fidel Castro he will provide free healthcare for his livestock, I mean people.

And we all know that there are no shenanigans with the voting because all his left-winger buddies have vouched for their boy Hugo---

The accusations of the media conspiring against Chavez very much remind me of the Liberal bias accusations thrown at the US media. It no use blaming the messenger you have to address the issues at hand.

A tin pot dictator wrapping himself in a shroud of democracy... Or the throng of clueless sycophants who make sure the hem is the right length.

The media is giving this a pass... Comfortable in the knowledge that the world simply doesn't care.

Originally posted by Mirthful Me
A tin pot dictator wrapping himself in a shroud of democracy... Or the throng of clueless sycophants who make sure the hem is the right length.

The media is giving this a pass... Comfortable in the knowledge that the world simply doesn't care.

Are we still talking about Venezuela here?

On the topic of freedom of the press, since when is corporate media 'by the people for the people'? Aren't the airwaves public domain? It seems to me that a referendum held on the question of disolving corporate media control is a democratic way of handling the situation, no? Or would you rather have Chavez send in the military to shut them down so you can villify him as a tin-pot dictator some more?

Did you see the documentary discussed in this thread: The revolution will not be televised?

If not then you really should, just so you know exactly what you're defending.
What's your solution?
.

[edit on 12/3/2006 by Gools]

Originally posted by xpert11
The accusations of the media conspiring against Chavez very much remind me of the Liberal bias accusations thrown at the US media. It no use blaming the messenger you have to address the issues at hand.

that what i was thinking

anyway, we do have strict press control
in iraq, the military controls everything we put out
in this country they can call gag orders on any information and imprison journalists for not revealing sources

Since when has the USA ever been interested in the non-violent political situations of other countries?