David Natera: Venezuelan government controls over 700 media outlets
El Universal: The government of President Hugo Chavez has control over 238 radio stations, 28 TV stations, 340 newspapers, weekly publications and magazines and 125 websites. Overall, President Chavez has 731 mass media that, apart from the nationwide mandatory radio and TV broadcasts, strengthen the information hegemony, which is one of the goals of the Venezuelan government, and allow it to spread its "communist ideology."
This complaint was made by David Natera, the president of the Venezuelan Press Block (BPV), when he presented a report about the situation of freedom of speech in Venezuela during the 65th General Assembly of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA), held last weekend in Buenos Aires (Argentina).
"Venezuela is living under a serious and continuing confrontation between the reality of the country, the reality of the citizens and what President Chavez manipulates and tries to pose as true," Natera said. Reference was made to the government's decision to create so many media and harass the critical press.
The editor accused President Chavez of leading a "regime" that "is destroying human and economic heritage, the conservation of natural and industrial resources, work values and honesty in the administration of state funds."
The editor of Venezuelan newspaper El Correo del Caroni warned that the government is not only managing the media it owns but it is trying to "control more media."
http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/11/09/en_pol_art_venezuelan-governmen_09A3025371.shtml
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