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Venezuela's Contrarian TV Station Survives on YouTube
Posted by
Zonk
on Fri Jun 01, 2007 03:41 PM
from the politics-plus-interweb dept.
from the politics-plus-interweb dept.
carlos_J writes "Ars Technica is running a story about RCTV, a Venezuelan television station whose broadcast license was refused renewal by the government. In response, the station turned to YouTube to get its message out. Says Ars, 'El Observador clips have been seen 175,000 times since May 28, and the channel is currently the most-subscribed channel of the week. While putting the station's shows on YouTube is an excellent idea, YouTube still lacks anything near the reach of over-the-air broadcasts. But the use of the site to avoid censorship is growing, and it's not hard to imagine a day in the near future when the site (or sites like it) becomes as essential as local TV stations. As that happens, YouTube will come into even more conflicts with governments that have an interest in controlling what their citizens see, It's already happening--Thailand's king, for instance, has a thing for iPods but isn't too keen on YouTube. Will Hugo Chavez show more tolerance? '"
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Your answer below. (Score:3, Funny)
Magic 8-ball says: "Not likely".
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Your answer below. (Score:5, Insightful)
You must be skeptical, this tv station was just part of the opposition fireworks, If anyone can fake videos are them, specially if it is for self-defense.
Of course, for an European or American citizen this wouldn't make sense but in Latin America the media are just part of the good old corporative empire that was always allied to corrupt governments (aka the owner of the stations were family with the leaders OR even the leaders themselves) it is not hard to find a TV station owned by a political party in LA, seriously.
Of course, this doesn't mean Chavez is a saint, he is just moving his country's media from an over biased right to a biased left, both of which are very bad.
But seriously, this is not about freedom of speech, it is about corrupt media corporations battling a corrupt government.
Parent
Will Hugo Chavez show more tolerance? (Score:3, Insightful)
(puts on thinking cap)
hmmm...
Re:Will Hugo Chavez show more tolerance? (Score:5, Informative)
You mean, didn't renew the license of the station that assisted in the coup of April 2002.
Parent
Re:Will Hugo Chavez show more tolerance? (Score:5, Informative)
I seriously wonder why they people who run that station hasn't been arrested. I mean overthrowing your government is a crime after all. Ahhh, maybe they didn't participate but rather aired stuff that wasn't favorable to the almighty himself. Well, then we are back to the he didn't renew it because they criticized him.
Or maybe, maybe a media's involvement in a coup is through propaganda? Maybe?
Parent
Re:Will Hugo Chavez show more tolerance? (Score:5, Informative)
RCTV's most infamous effort to topple Chavez came during the April 11, 2002, coup attempt against him. For two days before the putsch, RCTV preempted regular programming and ran wall-to-wall coverage of a general strike aimed at ousting Chavez. A stream of commentators spewed nonstop vitriolic attacks against him -- while permitting no response from the government.
Then RCTV ran nonstop ads encouraging people to attend a march on April 11 aimed at toppling Chavez and broadcast blanket coverage of the event. When the march ended in violence, RCTV and Globovision ran manipulated video blaming Chavez supporters for scores of deaths and injuries.
After military rebels overthrew Chavez and he disappeared from public view for two days, RCTV's biased coverage edged fully into sedition. Thousands of Chavez supporters took to the streets to demand his return, but none of that appeared on RCTV or other television stations. RCTV News Director Andres Izarra later testified at National Assembly hearings on the coup attempt that he received an order from superiors at the station: "Zero pro-Chavez, nothing related to Chavez or his supporters.... The idea was to create a climate of transition and to start to promote the dawn of a new country." While the streets of Caracas burned with rage, RCTV ran cartoons, soap operas and old movies such as "Pretty Woman." On April 13, 2002, Granier and other media moguls met in the Miraflores palace to pledge support to the country's coup-installed dictator, Pedro Carmona, who had eliminated the Supreme Court, the National Assembly and the Constitution.
Would a network that aided and abetted a coup against the government be allowed to operate in the United States? The U.S. government probably would have shut down RCTV within five minutes after a failed coup attempt -- and thrown its owners in jail. Chavez's government allowed it to continue operating for five years, and then declined to renew its 20-year license to use the public airwaves. It can still broadcast on cable or via satellite dish.
From http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artn
Parent
Venezuela's Counter-Revolution on YouTube (Score:5, Funny)
The Counter-Revolution Will Not be Televised (Score:5, Funny)
Put in some perspective... (Score:3, Insightful)
And please don't think I'm defending Chavez himself in any ways, but let's remember that Thatcher refused to renew the license of Thames Television. True, their license was lost for capitalist reasons (not being profitable enough), and RCTV was removed for political reasons, but many would argue that those reasons are not really all that different.
And let's be honest about this. In America in 2007, if CNN started taking an active role in the violent removal of Bush (who, while contraversial, was democratically elected), how long do you think the Bush administration would put up with that?
Chavez is authoritarian, heavy-handed and a bit megalomaniacal. But sometimes all of us need to take a good look in the mirror about the state of democracy here before we get all high and mighty about defending democracy elsewhere.
Re:Put in some perspective... (Score:5, Insightful)
p.s. (this isn't flamebait, I'm describing others opinions, not my own, and I'm certainly not trying to offend or pick a fight).
Parent
Re:Put in some perspective... (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, CNN nad NBC are bad examples. During 2002 military coup RCTV reported that Chavez "denounced" his presidency when in fact he didn't. Imagine that a rogue military group took over White House and CNN claimed that president resigned when in fact he didn't. That's pretty much what happened in Venezuela.
Would FCC renew a broadcasting license for a station that did something like that ? None of our TV stations would try anything like that in the first place, but if one of them tried I'm pretty sure it will be considered treason.
Parent
Re:Put in some perspective... (Score:4, Interesting)
what you described has already happened. and no one lost their broadcast license. Even with the evil Republican winning in the end. OR maybe you are more concerned about someone like a democrat would do something like this. They have been palling around with Chaves recently. We have troups, spys and military operations were people are getting killed and run a higher risk of getting killed because the news keeps telling the enemy about the secrete operations we are conducting against them. When you have brave men and women losing their lives because of the information some news station decided was newsworthy enough to tell the enemy about, and they still have their license, I seriously don't think anything will invoke treason charges on the station.
In america, Right or wrong, we reguard the news as the ultimate political speech and it is the most protected speech out there. If the news said Bush quit to save his own life and later retracted it, nothing would have happened to them outside their creditability being shot. Seriously, the news can fuck up an entire election and not get retaliated against. What makes you think anything else would be treated differently?
Parent
Re:Put in some perspective... (Score:5, Informative)
Here we go,
Complaining about it would only make them look like whiners. Is this the best you can do?
Participation
75% of registered voters participated in the December 2006 election. More than 15,000 Communal Councils formed in 2006 that give neighborhoods power to make local decisions. Massive community participation in government social missions.
Free and Fair Elections
Eleven internationally observed national elections in last eight years. Government promotes voter registration. Independent National Electoral Council oversees elections. Standardized voting machines nationwide produce paper trail. Opposition claims of fraud exhaustively investigated. Constitution provides for recall of any elected official.
Freedom of Press
Hundreds of new independent community media outlets. 2005 reform increased state control of airwaves. Media highly polarized. Private media strongly critical of Chávez, supported coup in 2002 and oil lockout in 2002-2003. Public media strongly supportive. Non-renewal of RCTV license widely criticized; decision is constitutional.
Varied Political Parties
77 parties participated in December 2006 election. Chávez wants to consolidate support in one "United Socialist Party," says parties that don't join "can leave."
Freedom of Assembly, Expression, Speech
No extralegal retaliation by Chávez after 2002 coup. Political repression much decreased. Freedom to demonstrate highly respected. PROVEA, Venezuelan NGO, reports 4.5% of 1300 demonstrations in 2006 were "repressed, blocked, or obstructed," a 70% decrease from 1997-98.
Private Property
Constitutional requirement of payment for nationalization honored. Opposition fears of unpaid expropriation not borne out. 2001 Land Law calls for unused state land and large, unproductive latifundio holdings to be redistributed to campesinos. Government promises to compensate at market rate for land.
Equality
Constitution covers gender, rights for the poor, campesinos, and indigenous, but omits race. Tremendous improvements for poor. Society still machista, individualist, and discriminatory. Treatment of non-Chávez supporters questionable: some government institutions do not employ people who supported 2004 Recall Referendum.
Checks and Balances
Five independent, autonomous branches of government. Grant of temporary "rule by decree" power criticized by opposition and U.S., but is constitutional; used by at least three other presidents. Chávez criticized for reform of Supreme Court; critics claim court stacking.
Transparency
Chávez fairly transparent, but many government officials are not. Little progress curing government and police corruption inherited from past. One of highest crime rates in the world; no improvement under Chávez. Prison conditions still abusive.
Constitution
1999 Constitution written with massive popular participation; passed with 72% support in referendum. Protects human rights and democracy; promotes social justice. Chávez has explicitly followed the Constitution. Constitutional Reform can start in National Assembly or at request of 15% of registered voters.
Economic Human Rights
Poverty and unemployment down, minimum wage and social spending up. Venezuela declared itself free of illiteracy in October 2005. Free universal education, including university. Free universal health care and drug rehabilitation. More than 180,000 cooperatives registered since 1998.
Community and Workplace Democracy
Chávez requires communities to organize to receive government aid. Co-ops, community councils, and co-managed factories promoted with state incentives. Government encourages endogenous development based on democracy and collective production.
Original source / relevant link:
Yes! Magazine
What the FUCK are you talking about? What drug
Parent
Privatized, renationalized (Score:3, Insightful)
A little background (Score:5, Insightful)
Those broadcast licenses are *supposed* to be held in the public interest. This TV station supported a military coup against the democratically elected government.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Attempted_coup_
That's a pretty unambiguous abuse of the public trust. Can you imagine what would happen to NBC's affiliate broadcast licenses if they supported a military coup against our government? If they weren't tried for treason and shot, they certainly wouldn't be allowed to keep broadcasting.
Which brings us to the subject of restraint - actually, Chavez has shown a remarkable degree of restraint so far against those who tried to overthrow him militarily. They haven't even filed charges against the military officers - the man that the coup tried to install as President was Chavez' opponent in following last Venezuelan election.
I seriously doubt that he's going to try and block Youtube.
No need to censor YouTube, Chavez can say... (Score:5, Interesting)
RCTV was the channel with the most geographical reach (nearly 100% of the country). Here in Venezuela, the "regional TV station" is a very recent phenomenon. Most of the TV stations are repeaters of national chains, and being the oldest, RCTV had the most coverage.
By replacion RCTV with a new station, Chavez acomplishes two goals, get out of the way a big nuance, and replacing that signal with on he can easily control (he is not controlling it yet, but now is quite easy).
In a country were internet penetration is low, and Broadband even lower, and where internet is mostly used by people who already opose Chavez, loosing the free/broadcast opposing medium is quite a blow for disension (I will not YET claim is a loss in freedom of expression).
Anyway, as I sit here (in Maracay http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maracay [wikipedia.org]) configuring my new laptop, I receive (Radio, MSN, SMS) reports of protests all over the country... But do not be fooled, these are not riots (thanks the lord), and Chavez already survived a general 3 month strike. Therefore, in about two weeks the protests will subside, the thing will be forgoten, and the same university students who are protesting now will be watching RCTV in YouTube using the campus broadband...
Is a pitty...
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
A joke of a country that takes better care of its poor than the United States.
Fine, fine. How about we take your computer and redirect the money you spend on broadband and software and give it to the poor? After all, using your money to give food and shelter to the homeless is much more important than your "need" to post on slashdot, yes?
Re:Fascism + Anti-Americanism x Oil Money = ??? (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
I'll see your Wycliffe and raise you a Camus... (Score:5, Insightful)
"Communism is man's exploitation of man. Capitalism is just the opposite."
Parent
Re:Fascism + Anti-Americanism x Oil Money = ??? (Score:5, Funny)
But first, take a ride around Haiti so you'll know where you're swearing you're in looks like.
Parent
Re:YAH!! (Score:5, Insightful)
I wish that were true, but it's a bunch of crap. Barring the use of fairly extreme measures on your part to preserve security, it's easy enough for the government to find you and send some men around to cart you off to someplace highly pixelated on google maps.
Parent
Re:Jails? (Score:5, Informative)
Seriously. Let's look at some other countries in the region concerning opposition TV stations, shall we? (re, Diana Cariboni)
1. Colombia:
"In October 2004, the Uribe administration closed the public Instituto de Radio y Televisión (Inravisión),? which aired "documentaries that were often awkward for the government."
2. Honduras:
"President Manuel Zelaya ordered all TV and radio stations to broadcast 10 daily one-hour programmes during prime time, starting Monday, to counteract what he called "misinformation" on his administration provided by the press.
"Honduran law stipulates that nationally broadcast messages (known as "cadena nacional") can only be used to call elections or in case of natural disasters or emergencies."
3. Nicaragua:
In 2002, during the administration of Enrique Bolaños, the radio station La Poderosa, aligned with former president Arnoldo Alemán, had their equipment seized without any legal proceedings.
4. Venezuelan opposition:
"[I]n 2003, Caracas Mayor Alfredo Peña, an outspoken Chávez opponent, also closed down the community station Catia TV for several days."
5. Mexico:
Oaxacan newpaper Diario Noticias, which "is openly critical of [?] Governor Ulises Ruiz, has been the target of attacks since 2005, including assaults on its journalists and attempts to evict the staff from the paper's offices."
6. Uruguay:
In 1994 President Luis Alberto Lacalle "stripped the CX 44 Radio Panamericana station of its licence after it urged the public to take part in a
demonstration."
Now, hey, let's go back to Venezuela. Let's look at that great and honorable privately owned Venezuelan media system. Back during the coup, the station was nothing but nonstop pro-coup propaganda: video after video of the anti-chavez side with hardly a shot of the pro-chavez side, with constantly mentioning reports of Chavez supporters shooting at opponents and none of the reports of the opposite. When the counter-coup happened? They avoided news and played soap operas and the like instead. Before and after the coup? Potshots at Chavez all the time.
How did the opposition get ahold of all of the major networks? Because the opposition owns most of the country, period. They're the same "upper class" that's been around for hundreds of years, dating all the way back to Spanish colonialism.
Parent
Re:Jails? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Jails? (Score:4, Insightful)
Imagine how the US would react if Bush was overthrown in a coup and then got back into power. What do you think would happen to anyone even remotely related to the coup?
** By comparison, what was that great icon of freedom, the US-backed coup leader Pedro Carmona doing shortly after overthrowing the government? Why, his first acts were to dissolve the legislature, the judiciary, and abolish the constitution that was overwhelmingly approved in referrendum. But, in the strange world of the Right, he's a democratic hero, and Chavez is an evil dictator.
Parent