Buying the Press. Documents reveal multimillion-dollar funding to journalists and media in Venezuela

[Judi Lynn]

Buying the Press. Documents reveal multimillion-dollar funding to journalists and media in Venezuela
July 27, 2010

US State Department documents declassified under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) evidence more than $4 million USD in funding to journalists and private media in Venezuela during the last three years. This funding is part of the more than $40 million USD international agencies are investing annually in anti-Chavez groups in Venezuela in an attempt to provoke regime change. The funding has been channeled directly by the State Department through three US agencies: Panamerican Development Foundation (PADF), Freedom House, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

In a blatant attempt to hide their activities, the State Department has censored the names of organizations and journalists receiving these multimillion-dollar funds. However, one document dated July 2008 mistakenly left unveiled the names of the principal Venezuelan groups receiving the funds: Espacio Publico (Public Space) and Instituto de Prensa y Sociedad (Institute for Press and Society “IPYS”). Espacio Publico and IPYS are the entities charged with coordinating the distribution of the millions in State Department funds to private media outlets and Venezuelan journalists working to promote US agenda.

~snip~
FUNDING FOR ANTI-CHAVEZ WEB PAGES

One of the PADF programs, which received $699,996 USD from the State Department in 2007, “supported the development of independent media in Venezuela” and “journalism via innovative media technologies”. The documents evidence that more than 150 Venezuelan journalists were trained by US agencies and at least 25 web pages were created with US funding.

During the past two years, there has been a proliferation of web pages, blogs, and Twitter, MySpace and Facebook users in Venezuela, the majority of whom use these media outlets to promote anti-Chavez messages and disseminate distorted and false information about the country’s political and economic reality.

More:
http://www.mediamatters.com.ng/?p=115

[bemildred]

1. Boy, that really illuminates "Money is Speech" doesn't it? nt

[flamingdem]

2. Wikileaks is turning out to be so very enlightening!

Wonder if the Teaparty would agree with those expenditures, doubt it!

[EFerrari]

3. Bookmarking.

[Peace Patriot]

4. Take a gander at this...

fascisthunter (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-22-10 08:58 AM
Original message
Private, Opposition TV Continues to Dominate in Venezuela, New Paper Finds

Data Show State TV Has 5.4 Percent of the TV Audience

For Immediate Release: December 13, 2010 En Español
Contact: Dan Beeton, 202-239-1460

Washington, D.C.- A new issue brief looking at data on Venezuela TV audiences contradicts the widely believed -- and widely reported -- claim that the Chávez government dominates the television media. In reality, the paper finds the opposite is true: the state share of television audience is very small -- currently only 5.4 percent --while private, opposition-owned channels overwhelmingly dominate the television audience, with 61.4 percent watching privately owned TV channels, and 33.1 percent watching paid TV.

“Statements claiming the Venezuelan government ‘controls’ or ‘dominates’ the media are not only exaggerated, but simply false,” CEPR Co-Director and lead author of the paper, Mark Weisbrot, said.

These claims appear regularly in the major U.S. media and are almost never challenged. For example, in a description of Venezuela’s elections last September for the National Assembly, the Washington Post referred to the Chavez “regime’s domination of the media . . . .” In an interview on CNN, Lucy Morillon of Reporters Without Borders stated, “President Chavez controls most of the TV stations.”

(MORE)

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/press-releases/press-releases/private-opposition-tv-continues-to-dominate-in-venezuela
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x55786

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Mindboggling, baldfaced LYING by the scumbags at the Washington Post and at Reporters Without Borders!

We ought to be bring the stockades for persons parading as 'journalists' who tell whoppers like this--with each of us getting a turn at throwing rotten fruit.

[ChangoLoa]

5. It's the number of TV stations that counts, not their audience

What you show talks very poorly of TV Chavez.



You should watch it sometimes:
http://www.vtv.gov.ve/envivo.html

[Peace Patriot]

7. Tell that to the corporate networks & Nielsen Corp! Ha-ha! Audience not important!

Some people would dis Chavez no matter what the facts are!

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As for RCTV and Globovision, a few less corpo-fascist TV monopolies never hurt free speech!

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Great idea for the president to get on TV every week for detailed discussion, and interaction with the public and guests. MUCH PREFERRED to canned speeches and controlled press conferences and photo ops, that we see with our airbrushed imperial presidency. And unfortunately even our Democratic president is involved in so much international lawlessness, skulduggery and harm, shrouded in vast government secrecy, and has so gravely betrayed the interests of the people on almost every issue, that he really could not withstand the scrutiny of a weekly TV show where he had to extemporize on government policy. Too many U.S. policies are completely indefensible.

I like Chavez's openness. I like his talkiness. I like that he likes mixing it up with people. Debating. Explaining. Educating. Recommending books. Into IDEAS. Providing details on government policy. Venezuelans know exactly what they're getting, in Chavez. He's "out there."

We have a dolorous presidency by comparison, with our president unable, really, to explain the shackles upon him, the deals he's made, the interests he is really serving, and who really makes U.S. policy--our multinational corporate/war profiteer rulers. He cannot afford to be open.

And I think it's hilarious that Venezuelan state TV has only a 5.4% audience share. Some "dictator"!

[Judi Lynn]

6. Thanks for posting fascisthunter's thread. Had missed it myself. Glad to see it. n/t

[Bacchus39]

8. looks like no-one wants to watch Hugo

"...private, opposition-owned channels overwhelmingly dominate the television audience, with 61.4 percent watching privately owned TV channels, and 33.1 percent watching paid TV."