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http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-267216,00.html The Times (London) April 15, 2002 Embarrassed pro-coup media silent as Ch�vez returns >From David Adams in Caracas -After publicly thanking the international media for their coverage of the coup, he turned to the Venezuelan media. �For God�s sake, reflect a little,� he appealed. �This country is yours too.� VENEZUELANS have lived a dramatic 48 hours, but if they wanted to read about it yesterday, they were disappointed. Venezuela greeted the return to power of the President, Hugo Ch�vez, only two days after his ousting in a coup, with collective silence. In part it was sour grapes and in part fear of retribution that no main Sunday papers appeared, while television and radio stations kept news to a minimum. The reason was simple. After a battle with Se�or Ch�vez over press freedom in recent months, media owners leapt to back Friday�s coup. Their hatred for Se�or Ch�vez peaked on Thursday when a news photographer was shot dead by a sniper at a huge anti-Ch�vez rally in which 15 people were killed. It was this that prompted the coup only hours later. In the few hours that a provisional government led by a businessman, Pedro Carmona, was in power, the top media barons were among the first to visit him at the presidential palace to offer support. �It was a media coup,� said a disgusted Mar�a Lilibeth Da Corte, a veteran palace reporter for Uni�n Radio, who said her editors censored all negative reporting on the coup. That included early signs that things were going wrong on Saturday. When a pro-Ch�vez crowd marched on the palace and members of the new government fled by an underground tunnel, no reports were aired. One photographer heard other journalists being told by their bosses to �forget being journalists for the next week, we�re all working for the government now�. Se�orita Da Corte said: �The saddest thing is that there were journalists who were in agreement with the bosses. Unless there is a serious internal investigation of what went on, professional journalism in Venezuela is finished.� Ch�vez supporters stoned one television station, demanding to go on the air. Among the worst offenders were the powerful networks, Globovision, Televen and Venevision. According to sources, Globovision executives even called CNN in Atlanta to request that it cease broadcasting negative coup images. The request was denied. Se�or Ch�vez reappeared at the palace yesterday in a conciliatory mood, promising there would be no witch-hunt. After publicly thanking the international media for their coverage of the coup, he turned to the Venezuelan media. �For God�s sake, reflect a little,� he appealed. �This country is yours too.� __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
