Re: IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRACY IN THE MEDIA, OF THE LEGITIMATE RIGHT OF

[Hari Kumar <hari.kumar@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael: Please remove me from your spam lists. 
Thanks,
Hari Kumar
> 
> From: "michael a. lebowitz" <mlebowit@xxxxxx>
> Date: 2007/06/04 Mon PM 05:42:29 EDT
> To: "'pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, 
>         project-x@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRACY IN THE MEDIA, OF THE LEGITIMATE RIGHT OF
>   THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT TO DECIDE WHO SHALL BROADCAST ON ITS AIRWAVES
> 
> Dear Friends and Comrades,
>          In the context of the international 
> campaign against the government of Venezuela, I 
> urge you to support the following statement and 
> to circulate it widely. Please send your full 
> name, nationality and profession to 
> <mailto:centrointernacionalmiranda@xxxxxxxxx>centrointernacionalmiranda@xxxxxxxxxx
>          in solidarity,
>          michael
> 
> IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRACY IN THE MEDIA, OF THE 
> LEGITIMATE RIGHT OF THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT TO 
> DECIDE WHO SHALL BROADCAST ON ITS AIRWAVES
> 
> In the mid 70s the non aligned countries demanded 
> a New World Information and Economic Order. Some 
> time later, this decision led the United States 
> to withdraw from UNESCO. For many decades only 
> five or so monopolies controlled flows of 
> information. It is only now that the demand to 
> understand information as a human right and to 
> democratize access to the media is being seen as 
> a necessary requirement for building systems that 
> are really democratic. The existence of media 
> like Telesur or Al Jazeera, the proliferation of 
> community radio and television stations, the 
> expansion of computer networks and free software 
> and the efforts states are making to take back 
> control of their airwaves are all part of this 
> effort to democratize the airwaves,
> 
> This is why we respect CONATEL's (The National 
> Telecommunication Commission of Venezuela) 
> decision to not renew the broadcast license of 
> the private television channel Radio Caracas 
> (RCTV) which was taken in complete accordance 
> with Venezuelan domestic legislation and 
> international standards. Far from being an 
> argument in favour of renewing its license to 
> broadcast, the biased manner in which RCTV used 
> this frequency for 53 years was an invitation to 
> find an alternative use for it. Besides, RCTV 
> still has the option to continue broadcasting on 
> cable and satellite, if it so wishes.
> 
> Similarly, we are concerned to note that the 
> attacks to which this sovereign decision by the 
> Venezuelan government is being subject are 
> related to the attempts --started by the FAES 
> foundation and repeated by other right-wing 
> organisations in Europe and America-- to 
> ?democratically defeat the socialism for the 21 
> century project?. The Venezuelan government?s 
> fair decision not to renew RCTV?s broadcast 
> licence can be explained by what RCTV did during 
> the April 2002 coup d?état in Venezuela ?to wit, 
> giving airtime to the coup backers, distorting 
> the facts and ignoring acts which were an attack 
> on freedom of expression. The events RCTV ignored 
> included the violent take-over of the state TV 
> station, thus silencing and disrespecting its 
> journalists (RCTV also ignored the people?s 
> reaction to the massacre in the streets). What 
> the station did during the coup also permits us 
> to understand why, today as yesterday, right-wing 
> forces all over the world are closing ranks with the Venezuelan right.
> 
> Democratising the media is something our 
> democracies have yet to do. The information given 
> out abroad about Venezuela and President Chávez 
> clearly demonstrates the manipulation of 
> information that affects all of our peoples. We 
> unflinchingly defend our peoples? freedom of 
> expression and their right to be informed but we 
> do not confuse this with the freedom of media 
> companies --and the political and economic 
> conglomerates who are their allies-- to 
> manipulate information to suit their interests and aims.
> 
> So, for all of the above reasons and while once 
> again repeating that the Venezuelan government 
> has the legitimate right to decide on the use of 
> the airwaves that belong to all of its citizens, 
> we demand that an urgent debate be started on the 
> means of communication to put an end to the 
> exaggerated manipulation that we see today which 
> seeks to attack a legitimate decision taken by 
> the democratic government of Venezuela.
> 
> 
> 
> 1 de junio de 2007
> 
> Caracas,
> 
> Luis Bonilla Molina, Escritor, Presidente del 
> Centro Internacional Miranda, Venezuela.
> 
> Marta Harnecker, Escritora. Chile.
> 
> Michael Lebowitz, Profesor Emérito Universidad Simon Fraser, Canadá.
> 
> Fernando Bossi, Congreso Bolivariano de los Pueblos (CBP), Argentino,
> 
> Monica Saiz, Argentina, Congreso Bolivariano de los Pueblos (CBP)
> 
> Haiman el Troudi, Escritor, Venezuela.
> 
> Víctor Álvarez, Economista, Venezuela
> 
> Juan Carlos Monedero, Profesor Universidad Complutense. Madrid. España.
> 
> Maximilien Arvelaiz, Venezuela.
> 
> Janet Duckworth,  politóloga, Reino Unido
> 
> Gilberto Giménez, Venezuela.
> 
> Selma Díaz, Arquitecto, Cuba.
> 
> Jorge Gantiva, Educador, Colombia
> 
> Miguel Sanchez, Educador,  (Chile)
> 
> Pedro Luis Gonzalez, Politologo, Venezuela
> 
> Jonathan Montilla, Venezuela.
> 
> 
> Michael A. Lebowitz
> Professor Emeritus
> Economics Department
> Simon Fraser University
> Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
> 
> Director, Programme in 'Transformative Practice and Human Development'
> Centro Internacional Miranda, P.H.
> Residencias Anauco Suites, Parque Central, final Av. Bolivar
> Caracas, Venezuela
> fax: 0212 5768274/0212 5777231
> http//:centrointernacionalmiranda.gob.ve
> mlebowit@xxxxxx
>