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<font size=3><br><br>
</font><font face="times new roman" size=4>Friends,<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
<b><i>What You Can Do: Start With the Washington
Post</i></b></font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font face="times new roman" size=4>The first volley in this
stepped-up disinformation campaign was launched earlier this week, as
Washington Post editor Jackson Diehl published a column, titled
"<a href="http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=107553438&url_num=1&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/09/AR2006040901102.html">
In Venezuela, Locking up the Vote</a>," <br><br>
where he accuses the Chavez administration of systematically targeting
political opponents with jail. Click
<a href="http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=107553438&url_num=2&url=http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com/news/04-13-06vio.html">
here to read more about Mr. Diehl and this particular
column</a>.<br><br>
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:
<a href="mailto:letters@washpost.com"><b><u>letters@washpost.com</a></u>
</b>, and should be limited to 150 words.<br><br>
Here are just a few of the false allegations that Diehl makes:<br><br>
* 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.<br><br>
* 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.<br><br>
* 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.<br><br>
* 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.<br><br>
There are many more false claims in Mr. Diehl's piece. Please take the
time to read
<a href="http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=107553438&url_num=3&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/09/AR2006040901102.html">
his editorial</a> and
<a href="http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=107553438&url_num=4&url=http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com/news/04-13-06vio.html">
our response</a>, and to write a letter from the heart. <br><br>
<b>For tips on writing an effective letter to the editor, please
click<a href="http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=107553438&url_num=5&url=http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com/take/ok-media.html">
here</a>.<br><br>
</b>------------------------------------<br>
NOTE: The Venezuela Information Office is dedicated to informing the
American <br>
public about contemporary Venezuela, and receives its funding from the
<br>
government of Venezuela. More information is available from the FARA
office <br>
of the Department of Justice in Washington DC.<br>
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(415) 863-9977<br>
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