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Twitter Undermines Hugo Chavez's Media Takeover
Case in point: Venezuela, where we may be witnessing the signs of an Iran-like brouhaha. With its economy floundering, crime rates skyrocketing, and civil unrest escalating, Venezuela isn't exactly the happiest place on Earth these days. In the face of this discontent, President Hugo Chavez has decided to step up his propaganda game and has unleashed a major campaign to suppress any oppositional media outlets. When five cable stations recently refused to broadcast one of his speeches, Chavez ordered them to shut down operations, a decree that set off a firestorm of protests, police intervention, and the eventual death of two student dissidents.
The catalyst behind most of these protests is, of course, Twitter, which anti-Chavez activists have used to organize demonstrations and to spread their cause internationally. Dissidents have also taken to Facebook, where a group titled "Chavez esta PONCHAO!" ("Chavez, you struck out!") is already 80,000 members strong. Chavez, not surprisingly, has undertaken efforts to squash this social media mini-revolution, going so far as to equate Twitter, the Internet, and text-messaging (?) with "terrorism". As FOX News reports, Chavez has promised a "radical" response to the Twitter-fueled uprising, and has already "launched an army of Twitter users to bring down online networks and try to infiltrate student groups."
Similar winds of discontent blew through the country in 2007 when Chavez called for opposition station RCTV to be shut down. That, however, was before the Iranian experience, and before Twitter blossomed into the global conduit for information and political solidarity that it is today. Internet analysts, drawing obvious Iranian parallels, are optimistic that Twitter and other forms of social media can lead to the same kind of mobilization and awareness that it did last summer. For the sake of a free Venezuela and global media, we certainly hope so, too. [From: FOX News; via: BusinessInsider]
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Comments
14
Subscribe to commentsLexihelFeb 4th 2010 8:25AM
This is kind of, inaccurate:
I'm typing this from Venezuela, yeah, a troubled country, but beautiful and peaceful indeed. The Chavez/NoChavez stuff however has always been passionate more than accurate, in both sides. However, you have to live here (and I mean live, man. Like walking on the streets and eating hot dogs in the "barrios") to understand the reality behind your article.
1st. Those social media antichavez activists you talk about are really nothing relevant in its mayority. Struggling to fight against him in a gadget that doesn't reach even half of that Venezuelan people that REALLY cares for a change. Pushing a spammy FreeVenezuela trend without any sense or purpose. Let's be clear, I don't like Chavez very much. But if you hear one of his speeches, he talks to the barrios, to the streets, in their language, not that soft stuff we can speak in here. And if you think it is very "daring" to tweet: "Because I wanna dance calipso #FreeVenezuela" you would end up with a big WTF in your face. We have a lot of Calipso, everywhere. So, that trend is really, a nonsense. We can still tweet against him, and send him to hell, and even curse him on Facebook, and here we are, still tweeting nonsense while having our coffee.
2nd And again, years light later. RCTV was not shut down. Do you have access to Venezuelan Cable Systems? Here, an example: Inter (http://www.inter.com.ve/tv/canales.html), take a look, we see the two most radical "anti-chavez" networks there: Globovision (which by the way, even broadcasted a "kill your president" message and is still out there broadcasting, can your networks do that? ;)) and RCTV --but... wait a minute! It was shut down in 2007- nnope... It wasn't, it was all a media campaign to cheat people like you. RCTV is still doing business.
About fox news, I just want to remind you of Sean Penn. You know the rest, this is getting too long.
SUNTZULAOTZUFeb 16th 2010 10:18PM
In response to the Chavista idiot who sent that link saying that the U.S. is lying and that RCTV is still being broadcasted then look at the link to the list of Venezuelan cable stations again. Nowhere is there a mention of RCTV.
Secondly, no one said RCTV was shut down in 2007, get your facts straight. It wasn't shut down until recently (2010) because they wouldn't air Chavez's marathon speeches.
Lastly, Chavez is already on the offensive in attacking Globovision and will probably soon have them either shut down or their programming changed to fit his viewpoint.
Don't come up here with these blatant lies and then expect us to believe them. It only further makes the readers of your post believe that either
a. You are a pro-Chavez know-nothing who would rather bury his head in sand like an ostrich versus learning the truth.
--or--
b. You are an employee of the Chavez regime posting these ridiculous messages in order to try to change a few viewpoints in your government's favor through the use of lies and manipulation.
If you are Answer "A" then go to a university not under Chavez control, read some books on real economics (Not Marxist propaganda), and learn a little about capitalism and why, although it does not solve all of our social problems, it is one of the most beneficial form of economies that has existed in the course of human history. As well as why it will always beat out centrally planned Socialist designs in satisfying the needs of all concerned.
I understand that there has been rampant corruption under the rule of the previous Venezuelan Oligarchs within your country. However, the poor of Venezuela have succeeded only in trading off one dictatorship for another. Until you the people of Venezuela have the right to determine whether you will succeed or fail on your own terms, you will never truly be free. No one can give you more than you can give yourself.
z0phi3lFeb 4th 2010 8:43AM
Said like a good Chavez plant would do
TinFeb 4th 2010 9:52PM
Why cant I reply here?
tiresiasFeb 4th 2010 9:45PM
Those who think the Twitter users are representative of Venezuela should check internet usage statistics. The most important and revolutionary "social media" in Venezuela is community radio.
Those who think Chavez is unpopular and these Twitter users represent some rising tide of discontent should check out IVAD's political polls. Those who think Chavez is a dictator, or even the most important phenomenon to understand when talking about Venezuelan politics, should read up on the PSUV and the preexisting protest movement that brought Chavez to the Presidency.
Those who think Fox News and Business Insider are good sources for reportage on politics in an actual democratic socialist country should have their heads examined.
eli.luke14Feb 4th 2010 10:19PM
@Lexihel I do not live in Venezuela so I cannot speak too closely, but my girlfriend does and I talk to her daily Via phone calls, Facebook or emails. From her I know Chavez is ruining that country. From her she told me he canceled a prime T.V. show that was 'Anti-Chavez'. From her I know many citizens have a hatred of him, but I also know that his war seems to be with the middle class. She has told me that the lower class still seems to support Chavez. I have seen video's on youtube and the way the police are so violent to the students demonstrating is outrageous.
TinFeb 4th 2010 9:51PM
ah
manuelFeb 4th 2010 10:26PM
Definitely some members of the Chavez-internet-Army are writing comments here...
BILL-FFeb 4th 2010 10:56PM
YOU SAID:
"I'm typing this from Venezuela, yeah, a troubled country, but
beautiful and peaceful indeed."
Yes, Venezuela is a beautiful country, but peaceful? really? more
than 1,000 people die every week there, because of street crime and what is Chavez is doing?, NOTHING. IN TEN YEARS the situation is worst than ever, you can be killed just for a pair of shoes.
YOU SAID:
"Chavez REALLY cares for a change"
Yes, cares to change, of course he cares, cares for his family and
all the back scratchers surrounding him, he cares to bring cubans,
iranians and Colombian terrorism group FARCs to Venezuela, he cares
so much Venezuela that in 10 years him and his brilliant
administration left the country in darkness with electric outage
every day and without clean water and importing GAS in a Country who is full of OIL. So that's he is caring about Venezuela?.
I'm agreed with you he talks to the masses, he blame USA for all the
bad things that happens in Venezuela. If there is an electric outage,
that is because the "EVIL USA EMPIRE", no rice or milk at the
supermarkets of course because USA and so on. RICH AGAINST POORS Like the old URSS the Communism style.
Chavez is a follower of MAO and FIDEL and his people drive Hummers
and luxury cars from the USA EMPIRE meanwhile more than 70% of the population lives in poverty conditions with no food or medicine.
Chavez and all his followers are losers. They missed the opportunity
to build a first world country. Instead they gave economic resources to
Cuba, Nicaragua, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, etc. and try build a
fake image of what's going on there.
The reality in Venezuela is a country with no justice, a country full
of corruption, poverty, a place where you can be killed because of a nike
shoes. Chavez criticism all the governments before him, but he is
worst than the others, because having the power and popularity to
make the thinks happen he is not doing anything, just destroy what
this Nation used to be. Happy, working and peaceful people.
SO CHAVEZ GO TO CUBA AND FIND A JOB AT THE TROPICANA, TAKE YOUR BUNCH OF IDIOTS AND RETARDED COMMUNISM WITH YOU PLEASE.
tiresiasFeb 5th 2010 12:23AM
@manuel - I don't know about these other dudes, but I am actually Hugo Chavez. This is what I do all day. Such are the pleasures of dictatorship. That, and all the precious bodily fluids.
LexihelFeb 17th 2010 4:07PM
Sadly I can't reply to replies. But I just wanted to say "thanks to the ignorant who replied me", you couldn't defend your point of view without being offensive. God bless your mouth =).
noalcomunismoFeb 18th 2010 10:20PM
Chavez is a Dictator, there is no democracy in Venezuela.
Chavez is a weird mix between Idi Amin Dadda, Hitler, Manuel Noriega, Mussolini and Krusty the Clown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xXNx7ccgD0
ronmossadFeb 21st 2010 1:01PM
Why do people idolize Hugo Chavez and Che Guevara? They’re both AWFUL!
http://ronmossad.blogspot.com/2010/02/sanction-of-victim-and-guiltiest-person.html
The bottom line is that Che was a total clown and anyone who follows him or Hugo Chavez is a misguided, lost soul desperate for a strong figure to latch onto.
collinMar 13th 2010 11:22AM
Yes, someone from Venezuela who speaks AGAINST Chavez, but disagrees with you people's belief of the cruel, despotic, oppressive nature of Venezuelan life MUST BE A PLANT! There's no way that in America, the news we receive could ever be jaded or biased! We have a near perfect track record in Latin America. That's why they love us so.
First, RCTV still operates via satellite (their offices are open). Their cable broadcasting lisense (along with a couple others) was not renewed because they actively helped plan and carry out the failed coup in 2002.
These stations are owned by some of Venezuela's most wealthy businessmen, all of whom hate Chavez's populist message. For three days they ran anti-Chavez programming, and encouraged people to take to the streets. They reported when Chavez had been removed by the military that he had "fled" and when he came back, they didn't even report on it. They met a few days before the coup to plan it out. This isn't some paranoid rambling. These are facts that are documented.
What's truly amazing (an a testament to Chavez's pluralism) is that he didn't shut RCTV down. He revoked their cable lisense, but allowed them to continue broadcasting. He didn't send in soldiers and set the building on fire (the way they had hoped he would be removed).