From: Anti-Imperialist News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Friends, Today marks the fourth anniversary of the end of the coup against Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. On April 13, 2002, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans rose up and demanded the return of their democratically-elected President, after a bizarre 2-day series of events which pitted the country's business elite, along with corrupt union bosses and select members of the Venezuelan military against the principals of democracy. Eighteen Venezuelans were killed, and more than a hundred were injured.
The coup would never have taken place without the support of Venezuela's highly consolidated private media. For weeks before the takeover, television anchors signed off their broadcasts with calls for Chavez to resign; reporters urged viewers take to the streets of Caracas, even though this was a set up for a bloody confrontation many knew was pre-planned as part of the destabilization attempt. As we honor the heroic struggle to restore democracy and rule of law to Venezuela, North Americans must recommit ourselves to challenging the media in our own country that provides distorted information about the events of four years ago and the story of Venezuela today. In just seven months, Venezuela will hold yet another Presidential election. According to polls from the government, from the opposition, and from independent firms Chavez will easily win re-election. But in the months ahead we will all read slanted stories in our local newspapers attempting to discredit President Chavez and undermine the legitimacy of his re-election. This is a campaign. We need you to help participate in our own version of Venezuela's counter coup. What You Can Do: Start With the Washington Post The first volley in this stepped-up disinformation campaign was launched earlier this week, as Washington Post editor Jackson Diehl published a column, titled " In Venezuela, Locking up the Vote," where he accuses the Chavez administration of systematically targeting political opponents with jail. Click here to read more about Mr. Diehl and this particular column. Storylines like these, left unchallenged, will shape the U.S. public and policymakers' perceptions of what is happening in Venezuela.. Today, in honor of those who continue the struggle to preserve democracy in Venezuela, please take 10 minutes to respond. Letters to the Washington Post may be sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] , and should be limited to 150 words. Here are just a few of the false allegations that Diehl makes: * He claims that "for years" Chavez "has been nursing along prosecutions of politicians, human rights activists, labor leaders, journalists and election monitors." The statement is unsupported by the reports of any human rights organization. No one has been prosecuted in Venezuela under Chavez for political offenses. * He argues that Chavez "has never enjoyed overwhelming support in Venezuela; his ratings have mostly fluctuated a few points above and below 50 percent." The reality is that Chavez has three times won an election with 60 percent of the vote, and current polling places his popularity even higher today. * He implies that president is "rooting" for the opposition to boycott the election. The truth is that Chavez will handily win the presidency this December regardless of the actions taken by the opposition. It is clearly in the interests of the administration to have this victory be within the context of an open and competitive race. * He suggests that Chavez is immersed in "a tidal wave of corruption revelations." No specifics are given to back this up, but Mr. Diehl is well aware that it is enough to simply float the rumor in a paper with the reputation of the Washington Post, and the perception will become reality. There are many more false claims in Mr. Diehl's piece. Please take the time to read his editorial and our response, and to write a letter from the heart. For tips on writing an effective letter to the editor, please click here. ------------------------------------ NOTE: The Venezuela Information Office is dedicated to informing the American public about contemporary Venezuela, and receives its funding from the government of Venezuela. More information is available from the FARA office of the Department of Justice in Washington DC. 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