5-21-07, 9:44 am

Venezuela's right-wing opposition parties, which turned out their supporters at the weekend to protest at the government decision not to renew the broadcast license of the RCTV network, claimed to be demonstrating in favor of media freedom.

Their stance is backed by the White House and a handful of conservative MEPs plan to introduce a resolution in the European Parliament condemning the government of President Hugo Chavez.

Even the International Federation of Journalists has come out in opposition to the Venezuela government's decision.

If this were a genuine case of media freedom, the National Union of Journalists and other reliable advocates of free expression would join the condemnation.

But the NUJ annual conference voted overwhelmingly last month to support the Bolivarian revolutionary government and to establish links with the new progressive media being built in Venezuela.

RCTV owner Marcel Granier had the temerity to quote liberation hero Simon Bolivar, telling his supporters: 'He who rules must listen – the people are speaking.'

He did not follow his own advice in April 2002, when President Chavez was briefly overthrown in a coup.

Although he knew that hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans had taken to the streets to stand by their president and to encourage patriotic soldiers to isolate and defeat the coup leaders, Mr. Granier did not listen to the people's voice.

He ordered a news blackout on the momentous events taking place at the Miraflores Palace, broadcasting old films and Tom and Jerry cartoons.

Nor was this because of any lack of interest in what was happening. Mr. Granier, his TV station and the other major networks controlled by the pro-imperialist oligarchy were up to their necks in the conspiracy.

The media executives went to the palace to greet coup leader Pedro Carmona, the head of Venezuela's big business confederation, and told him: 'We can't guarantee you the loyalty of the army, but we can promise you the support of the media.'

In most of the world, that conduct would have been enough for a broadcast licence to be revoked, to say nothing of long jail sentences for those involved.

But the media moguls weren't finished, taking the lead later that year to win support for the strike cum lockout that paralyzed much of Venezuela's oil industry in a bid to starve the government of funds.

Over 13,000 anti-government adverts were aired in a two-month period, sponsored by the oil industry but carried free by RCTV and the other stations.

Despite this blanket rubbishing of the government and lauding of the opposition, the Chavez government has retained public support and has continued to practice and defend media freedom.

Contrary to attempts to paint Venezuela as a dictatorship that monopolizes the media, 97 per cent of TV stations are still privately owned, as are 99 per cent of radio stations and the entire newspaper industry.

Therein lies the real threat to free expression and the government decision to replace RCTV with a public-service network is a step towards media democratization that merits widespread support.

From Morning Star