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US to take war of words with Chávez on to the airwaves
subscription required, EFL belowWashington's war of words with Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's president, could soon enter a new dimension with the prospect of a propaganda duel on the airwaves. On Wednesday the US House of Representatives passed an amendment that allows the US to broadcast television and radio programmes into Venezuela. The amendment, introduced by Connie Mack, a Florida Republican, is aimed at offsetting the perceived âanti-Americanâ influence of Telesur, a nascent satellite television channel majority funded by the Chávez government and set for a full on-air launch in September. Telesur, whose creation was also funded by Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay, bills itself as a Latin American alternative to the âUS-centricâ programming of such commercial channels as CNN. Some US officials are concerned that Telesur will become a pan-American mouthpiece for Mr Chávez to propagate his autocratic style into neighbouring countries, to the detriment of US interests. Bogotá has complained about one of Telesur's advertising trailers, which features imagery of the top commander of Colombia's outlawed guerrilla army. The idea of a US-funded channel directed at Venezuela appears to be modelled on Radio and TV Marti, the Miami-based channel that encourages dissent in Cuba. But analysts said that a similar system aimed at Venezuela missed a key point. Telesur is largely aimed at viewers outside Venezuela. There are fears the Venezuelan government wants to introduce censorship within the country. Mr Chávez said he would counter a US channel using the same method Cuba has used against Radio and TV Marti: jamming the signal. Posted by: rkb 2005-07-24 |
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