Pelosi on Venezuela
mmven...@gmail.com
Please receive our apologies for the high-volume of action alerts that
we have been sending lately. Too much is happening and we need your
immediate action.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released a statement today
that criticized a recent decision by the Venezuelan government not to
renew the broadcasting license of RCTV.
We strongly encourage you to email and call Speaker Pelosi to set the
record straight. Please contact the following people:
Pelosi's Chief of Staff/Policy Adviser:
Terri.Mc...@mail.house.gov
Pelosi's Media Staff: Brend...@mail.house.gov
Call Speaker Pelosi at 202-226-7616
When you call or email, feel free to use the following TALKING
POINTS:
1. There is no "Suppression of Media in Venezuela," nor was there a
"closure" of RCTV. Instead its license to broadcast on the public
airwaves was not renewed.
2. The non-renewal of the license prevents RCTV from broadcasting on
open access channels, but the station will still be allowed to
broadcast in Venezuela through the internet as well as cable and
satellite TV. Neither does it affect the possibility of RCTV producing
material for domestic or international TV programming. Moreover, RCTV
may continue to broadcast using their two radio stations.
3. The non-renewal is due to RCTV's failure to abide by legal norms
established by the Venezuelan Constitution and the Law of Social
Responsibility for Radio and Television. The law forbids public
airwaves licensees from inciting political violence and civil unrest.
RCTV's violations involve conspiracy to bring down the elected
government of Venezuela during the violent coup of April 2002 as well
as the active promotion of an economic sabotage later that year, which
cost the country more than US$10 billion in losses. RCTV also has a
long list of sanctions imposed by previous governments for reasons
ranging from pornography, violations of laws prohibiting publicity of
smoking and alcohol drinking to transmissions of false information.
4. The non-renewal of RCTV's broadcasting license is not an example of
censorship, nor is it a strike against the private media in Venezuela.
RCTV was part of a majority; 79 out of 81 TV stations and all 118
newspapers in the country are privately owned. Most are vehemently
opposed to the democratically elected government of President Chavez.
RCTV is unique only in its editorial excesses and its history of
violating legal norms.
5. RCTV's large share of the open-access airwaves was assigned, upon
expiration, to a public broadcaster that is dedicated to presenting
programming that features independent operators and producers.
PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR NETWORKS.
Do your best to personalize your email, and make sure to send it to
your Congressional Representatives, as well. To find out who your
Representatives are, please go to: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Please read VIO's fact sheet on "Press Freedoms in Venezuela: The Case
of RCTV." For more information, please call the Venezuela Information
Office at 202 347 8081, ext. 603 or email nat...@veninfo.org