Free speech in Venezuela, yes or no?

as long as we're on the subject of latin america...

we really need to keep in mind that virtually everything we see, hear, and read these days is being spun... and i mean EVERYTHING... the best we can do is to keep our eyes open for things that are being spun in directions different from the prevailing traditional media spin that permeates our daily lives... take the incessant vilification of hugo chávez in venezuela... if your information comes solely from traditional u.s. media sources, your view of mr. chávez would naturally be extremely negative... i confess that, since i'm subject to the same media deluge as everyone else, i tend to lean in that direction myself... nonetheless, it's extremely important to take into account that there are OTHER views, OTHER perspectives, that may contain more than a grain of truth...

first of all, this about the so-called censorship of free speech in venezuela, a hot topic in multiple news stories over the past few weeks...

some key points made by the author...

• Most of the media in Venezuela is still controlled by people who are vehemently (sometimes violently) opposed to the government.

• All over the broadcast media you can hear denunciations of the president and the government of the kind that you would not hear in the United States on a major national broadcast network.

• Pick up a newspaper -- El Universal and El Nacional are two of the biggest -- and the vast majority of the headlines are trying to make the government look bad.

• Turn on the radio and most of what you will hear is also anti-government.

• Venezuela has a more oppositional media than we have in the United States.

this reminds me of experiences i used to have when working in the corporate world... i would hear from various folks or read in various media, statements to the effect that, "wow, such-and-such an employer would be SO GREAT to work for... they're doing SUCH great things..." however, as an employee of said corporation, i knew better... when you are completely reliant on others in order to form your opinions, just remember, the ONLY truth comes from inside yourself, and nothing, NOTHING, substitutes for first-hand experience...

Submit To Propeller
Tweet