The “Free Press” on Venezuela: “the propaganda machinery of the capitalist-imperialist ruling class”

February 25, 2019 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

Over these past weeks, the mainstream media has kept up the ceaseless, uniform drumbeat that Maduro is a ruthless dictator who’s starving his own people, while the U.S. is doing all it can to help the Venezuelan people and restore democracy—all in the service of creating public opinion for U.S.-sponsored "regime change," up to and including a U.S. invasion.

Ask yourself why the U.S. media hasn’t been covering these stories or asking these questions, and how its silence speaks volumes:

• The mainstream media is reporting on U.S. sanctions as if they’re totally legitimate and reasonable. How would they respond if, say, Mexico, or China, or Venezuela seized or embargoed U.S. assets in their countries? (See the clip “Free Yourself from the GTF!” from the film of Bob Avakian’s talk, THE TRUMP/PENCE REGIME MUST GO!...)
• Why, as “background” and “context,” doesn’t the U.S. media run a list of the U.S. military interventions and coups in Latin America (including Venezuela) over, say, the last 150 years, along with a list of the sorts of rulers the U.S. has helped put in power? (See this revcom.us chart of Republicans, Democrats, and U.S. crimes against humanity.)
• The media is passionately covering the suffering in Venezuela, yet why hasn’t there been similarly outraged and relentless coverage of the suffering in Guatemala or Honduras, suffering that is forcing tens of thousands to flee as migrants? (Check out the American Crime series at revcom.us.)
• Has the U.S. media, which has fanned outrage over Venezuela’s blocking of food and medical aid, demanded the U.S. also rush aid to Yemen and break Saudi Arabia’s blockade, which together with its war have killed over 85,000 children and pushed 14 million people to the brink of famine?

Let’s look at the terms of the “debates” and “disagreements” that are aired. Take the February 19 editorial in the New York Times. It agreed with what Trump was trying to do and didn’t question his intentions:

“Yes, the military should abandon Mr. Maduro, who has guided one of Latin America’s richest countries to total ruin, and join the opposition leader Juan Guaidó in trying to put Venezuela back on track,” and “Obviously it would be best for all if the military let Mr. Maduro know that his time was up and assisted Mr. Guaidó in organizing new elections. And the more international pressure on Mr. Maduro to step aside, the better.”

While the Times recommends Trump stop “issuing ultimatums, threatening the soldiers or telling them what to do,” because “the administration’s saber-rattling and use of aid as a weapon are a dangerous and potentially counterproductive strategy,” it fully agrees with what needs to be accomplished.¹

1. In short, the New York Times wants Trump to accomplish regime change in a less brazen, nakedly imperialist manner. [back]