Opposition Media Fails to Stop Chavez (UPDATED)
The frustrating fact about many of the news organizations that are opposed to Hugo Chavez is that they are not very good at their job.
To give a recent example, on September 28th the em>Nuevo Herald< reported that Hugo Chavez went into a Military Hospital in Caracas in a “fairly serious condition” and that he was probably experiencing kidney failure due to his recent and last round of chemotherapy to fight cancer.
The very next day, several Latin American media outlets such as em>El Tiempo< from Colombia, El Clarin from Argentina, and em>El Comercio< from Ecuador reported that Chavez denied having any side effects from the cancer treatment and that he is feeling better than ever.
It is incredible that after 12 years of Chavez’s regime, the opposition and the press still have no clue as to how to frame the issues to avoid making the same mistake over and over again. The opponents believe that by creating controversy about any issue without presenting facts, numbers, or any other hard data, will cast a shadow of doubt that will eventually benefit them. This has not worked in the past and it is not working now.
Later on the 29th, the em>Nuevo Herald< reported on Chavez’s response to their article after he ridiculed their reporting. They stressed the fact that the President never denied having been in the hospital. The newer article was written to disguise the fact that they had reported something they were uncertain of. The lack of accuracy, investigative skills, and sense of responsibility exercised by the Nuevo Herald on the 28th only gave Chavez more weapons to attack the press and the United States.
As I said here, Chavez’s disease has been a state secret from the beginning. There is no sign that Venezuelan officials are going to break the secrecy or show any sign of weakness. The strategy to call the attention of Venezuelans about the fact that Chavez’s disease should be a matter of public knowledge is not by presenting obscure scenarios but by making the issue a matter of trust between who has been in power for 12 years and the people that have given him their vote of confidence.
