TODAY’S N.Y. TIMES: ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF THE ONGOING ONE-SIDED REPORTING OF THE CORPORATE MEDIA ON VENEZUELA

Time’s photojournalist Meridith Kohut reports excesses on the side of the protesters and the police in Venezuela. As an example of the former, she points to an incident in which the protesters supposedly accused a man of coming robbery and burnt him alive. Abundant evidence points to the fact that he was burnt alive because he was taken to be a Chavista supporter. Furthermore it is much more likely that such a drastic action would be taken by radicalized protesters against a Chavista than against a thief. In fact, many in the opposition agree that the man (Orlando Figuera) was burnt alive because he was an “infiltrado” (that is a Chavista infiltrator). Finally, Orlando Figuera’s mother has declared that her son was burnt alive because he was a Chavista. She told the press: “Eso de que estaba robando lo desmiento aqui y donde sea. Esto no puede quedar así. Así como fue mi hijo puede ser otra persona.”  

The least Kohut could have done was to present both sides of the story. Kohut writes: “When a man was accused of stealing during a protest, Resistencia members punched and stabbed him, doused him with gasoline and set him afire. The man, Orlando Figuera, died days later.” 

Not surprisingly, the article, which is on the opposition’s protests, doesn’t say one word about the government’s massive mobilization capacity, as has been put in evidence in these last several weeks. Nor is there one word of the possibility that the violent protesters may have the backing of important political actors. It is true, as the article states, that a large number of the young people who are protesting are anti-party, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility that the resources and planning required to pull off these actions come from obscure sources tied to radical opposition groups.