The New York Times slavishly tows the State Department line on Venezuela

A protest called by Juan Guaido on Youth Day, on Friday the 12th, got not much more than a handful of people. This, even though it was held in Caracas’ affluent and conservative east side. As the Venezuelan media pointed out, Guaidó’s loss of support has much to do with his turning a blind eye to widespread accusations of corruption involving the $100 million dollars he got last year from the U.S. government. Denunciations of the lack of any accountability whatsoever have been formulated even by those in the opposition camp. The NY Times’ “Weekend Briefing” written by Remy Tumin and Jeremiah Bogart had this to say:

 

“And two years ago in Venezuela, Juan Guaidó became a national hero by posing the most serious threat to date to the deeply unpopular president, Nicolás Maduro. Today, the adoring crowds are gone, but Mr. Guaidó is not giving up. “This has been a great sacrifice, but I’d repeat it a thousand times,” he insisted in an interview.”

 

Glorifying someone who has proven time and time again to be inept and is being denounced even by those who up to yesterday were his most vocal followers is not exactly an example of critical journalism. But when it comes to the NY Times’ reporting on Venezuela, this is par for the course.