[Peace-discuss] Re: Frontline, Venezuela
unionyes
unionyes at ameritech.net
Wed Nov 26 06:08:43 CST 2008
I watched the Frontline episode last night about Hugo Chavez.
The link to a Counterpunch article that either David Green or Jenifer provided is a very good critique of this Frontline piece.
I read the Counterpunch article AFTER I watched the Frontline piece.
What was most blatant in the filmmaker's bias, was the almost total lack of info about the coup against Chavez, in particular the role that RCTV played and the DOCUMENTED involvement of the CIA, which they poo pooed as a " rumour ".
Also the lack and distortion of info about the so called " Oil Workers Strike ", which I wrote about in the last issue of the Industrial Worker Newspaper, which if you are interested you can view on line at www.iww.org .
I will say that the Frontline filmmaker did show some legitimate flaws about Venezuela and Chavez, which even the staunchest fans of Chavez should not discount.
However, the most effective propoganda is " gray " propoganda, that is truth mixed with lies to create a distorted view.
I would highly recommend seeing the film ; " The Revolution Will Not Be Televised ", an award winning film done by two NON-CORPORATE / independent Irish filmmakers, who went to Venezuela right before the coup to do a film about Chavez and Venezuela, and unexpectedly got caught-up in the events of the coup as it happened and filmed it LIVE !
Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
I use to watch Frontline all the time during the late 70's - late 80's.
It use to be a very good and objective program.
I stopped watching it during the late 80's because it became less objective and more corporate biased as Reagan continuously slashed funding for Public Television and Radio, making it almost totally dependent on corporate sponsors and appointing right-wing idealogues to the PBS national Board.
David J.
David Johnson
----- Original Message -----
From: John W.
To: jencart13 at yahoo.com ; Peace Discuss
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:04 AM
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Re: Frontline, Venezuela
On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 8:06 PM, Jenifer Cartwright <jencart13 at yahoo.com> wrote:
Whoa, I want to be able to say more about the PUBLIC Broadcasting System than that "it can't be all bad." As for Nightline, I've watched it only a couple of times because I forget about it, plus I personally cannot STAND Terry Moran.
Frontline and Nightline are not the same show, nor are they on the same channel. Nightline comes on every weekday evening at 11:00 PM on ABC. That's the one with Terry Moran et al., formerly hosted by Ted Koppel. And it IS pretty fluffy. Frontline airs documentaries periodically on PBS.
As for objectivity, I keep hearing talking heads (including those on PBS) mention Chavez' having "lost an election last year," which is NOT true -- a referendum that would remove term limits from holding the office of president failed. Period. And (of course) Chavez and his supporters accepted it (as would a US president or NYC governor, right??)
Yes. But not, for example, Robert Mugabe. That's precisely the point.
Okay, "The Hugo Chavez Show" (a rather insulting title, don't you think??)
It's based on the man's own television show that he has in Venezuela.
is starting now, and we'll see just how fair and balanced it is. Btw, it's repeated at 3a Thursday, so set yr VCRs before you go to bed on Wednesday if you wanna weigh in on this.
Yes. I dozed through tonight's Frontline but did manage to record it. Hahahaha!
--Jenifer
--- On Tue, 11/25/08, John W. <jbw292002 at gmail.com> wrote:
From: John W. <jbw292002 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Re: Frontline, Venezuela
To: jencart13 at yahoo.com
Cc: "David Green" <davegreen84 at yahoo.com>, "Peace Discuss" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 4:46 PM
On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 4:22 PM, Jenifer Cartwright <jencart13 at yahoo.com> wrote:
John,
I think the point of the Counterpunch article is that -- while some of us hope for more objective reporting on PBS than what is typically found in the MSM (which generally disses Venezuela/left-leaning Latin American countries in general and Hugo Chavez in particular) -- the Frontline program ("The Hugo Chavez Show"), to be aired on PBS tonite at 8p, the reporting is anything but objective/pretty much a smear... and author Patrick Irelan muses about the connection between the negative reporting and the fact that PBS is heavily funded by Big Oil (which includes the US- but NOT the Venezuelan oil industry). And, though I haven't seen the program as yet myself, I am wondering right along with him if PBS should not indeed be considered The Petroleum Broadcasting System.
And Dave's point (if I may) is that instead of bothering to watch the show, viewers can just find a pinata of Chavez and have at it.
--Jenifer
Thanks, Jen. Since pinatas are somewhat scarce around these here parts, I reckon I'll watch the Hugo Chavez show and form my own conclusions. I'm generally quite satisfied with Frontline. I'm virtually positive that Hugo Chavez will be portrayed as neither all saint nor all sinner, but probably more of the former than of the latter. Which, if portrayed that way, will comport with my own opinion of him, which isn't like to change too much in any event.
I don't know much about the funding of PBS, but I do know that any station which airs Bill Moyers and Independent Lens on a regular basis can't be all bad.
John
--- On Tue, 11/25/08, John W. <jbw292002 at gmail.com> wrote:
From: John W. <jbw292002 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Re: Frontline, Venezuela
To: "David Green" <davegreen84 at yahoo.com>
Cc: "Peace Discuss" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 2:33 PM
Gosh, I must be stupid. I didn't understand the cynicism in the Counterpunch article, and I don't understand it on this list. It just seems to be generalized cynicism, a propos of nothing. Whom do we hate here? Chavez? Filmmakers who attempt to make films about Chavez? Filmmakers who are not perfectly biased in the precise ways that the Counterpunch author is biased? What?
John Wason
On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 10:22 AM, David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com> wrote:
http://www.counterpunch.org/irelan11252008.html
One might use the time better to build a pinata and pound it with a baseball bat.
DG
--------------------------------------------------------
Check-out PBS Frontline tomorrow ( Tuesday ) at 8pm, about Hugo Chavez.
It will probably be the usual PBS hatchet job propoganda, sugar coated in a fascade of supposed" intellectual objectivity ", that has the corporate agenda as it's purpose.
But it may still be worth a look for curiosity sake.
David Johnson
Check-out PBS Frontline tomorrow ( Tuesday ) at 8pm, about Hugo Chavez.
It will probably be the usual PBS hatchet job propoganda, sugar coated in a fascade of supposed" intellectual objectivity ", that has the corporate agenda as it's purpose.
But it may still be worth a look for curiosity sake.
David Johnson
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