Martin Sanchez talks about the role that independent media played in rallying supporters of the Venezuelan Constitution and President Chavez against the oligarchs and military who staged the coup d'etat. He addresses the governments belated appreciation of that fact and its institutionalization of community radio and TV stations that can circumvent the domination of Venezuela's media by a few wealthy families.
Venezuelan Consul General, Jesus Rodriguez De Paul University
The documentary film "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", details the role of private media as it was used to shape and perpetrate the coup d'etat. The documentary was screened by way of introduction to the AFL-CIO's work with the National Endowment for Democracy to promote oppositional organizations seeking to reverse social gains for the poor. The remarkable documentary, filmed during the coup from inside the Presidential Palace, can be seen at: https://www.youtube.co/watch?v=3ZajyVas4Jg
The murder of people during a an anti-government demonstration, the preceding day, was used as justification for ousting President Chavez. The private TV stations repetitively played a video clip that they claimed showed Chavez supporters firing on demonstrators. Another documentary, "Llaguno Bridge: Keys to a Massacre" , using forensic techniques shows, from another camera angle, that the people on the bridge were shooting at snipers and that the street below was empty but for National Police at the far end who were shooting at them. It also documents that snipers were killing people before any shots were fired by Chavez supporters. And it reveals that a message from the generals who justified the coup because of the deaths was secretly prerecorded the day before; they had prior knowledge that people would be killed. That documentary can be seen at: http://vimeo.com/40149494
![<?php echo $config['site_title']; ?>](/static/images/rp-navimg.gif)
![Support the <?php echo $config['site_title']; ?>](/static/images/support.png)
