Rafael Correa and Hugo Chávez want to create an agency that "defends their governments from abuses of the corrupt press," which they consider to be “an instrument of the oligarchy.” According to the two presidents, the press is the principal “enemy of change and the socialist model.” With respect to the last point, I believe that they are correct.
The conservative media (and those that are not) in both countries have opposed their “socialist revolution”, just as it would be against any revolution, and just as Correa and Chávez are against a critical press that questions their authoritarian and populist power.
They don’t need to create a new Unasur agency. They have already clearly demonstrated that they will not allow criticism from the media. Undoubtedly, the Chávez case is the clearest: it has now been two years since RCTV was removed from the air, and pressure is increasing on the lone remaining opposition television channel Globovisión, on top of constantly bullying the press. He sympathizes with Argentine President Cristina Fernández when she attacks the opposition press, and has incited similar sentiments in Bolivian President Evo Morales. For his part, Correa has also called the Latin American press corrupt and has taken control of several media companies.
Now, this is not to say that the entirety of the press should be seen as champions of freedom of expression. For anyone who follows the editorial line of the most powerful media companies in any country, it will be obvious that they are also guided by the interests and affiliations of their owners and financiers. And so we have the recurring tale: when the interests of the media match those of the government, we have an “official line”; when they are in conflict, we have a critical press and attacks against freedom of expression.
Should we take a side? Should we be in favor of the conservative press or in favor of authoritarianism disguised as a watered-down “socialist revolution?” Well, I believe that the world is not black and white; and the journalist – who lives in the space between a small salary on one side and repression from the powerful on the other – must find a different shade in which to practice fair journalism. It isn’t always easy and sometimes it is a gut feeling. In any case, what I wanted to discuss here (in homage to the 10th anniversary of Chavez’s “Hello, President” and a week in which Venezuela has dominated the news) is that justifiably detesting Chávez and his allies does not mean that those who oppose him are beyond reproach. This clarity is particularly necessary when it's time to tell the story.
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