Open letter to the 'Independent' newspaper in responce to their article by Hannah Baldock that claimed early results from the referendum in venezuela indicated that Chavez was loosing...
What the hell are you doing letting Hannah Baldock publish her nonsence in your paper?
"The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, looked to be losing his grip on power last night as exit polls showed him to be trailing the opposition by almost a million votes."
Exit polls were banned (as were publishing results before the polls closed.
"The mid-morning results showed that the opposition, already boasting an enormous 1,758,000 votes to Chavez's 798,000, is well on its way to reaching the target of 3.76 million votes it needs to oust the authoritarian, left-wing President."
There were no midmorning results and they would not have provided the figures she claimed as unlike the e-voting system, they could only ever provide percentage estimates unless all polling stations had exist polls (which they didn't as they were banned).
"The figures were early indications that, for the first time in the country's history, the President may have his term in office cut short by a referendum."
Hmmm. this really establishes her agenda, after refering to Chavez as authoritarian (like all governments by definition) and a 'firebrand', she fails to mention that the referendum and the constitution that made it possible, were both introduced by Chavez since being democratically elected - so of course he is the only president in the country's history to face having his tem cut short by a referendum of the people rather than a military or media coup.
Independent? ha, of what?
"The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, looked to be losing his grip on power last night as exit polls showed him to be trailing the opposition by almost a million votes."
Exit polls were banned (as were publishing results before the polls closed.
"The mid-morning results showed that the opposition, already boasting an enormous 1,758,000 votes to Chavez's 798,000, is well on its way to reaching the target of 3.76 million votes it needs to oust the authoritarian, left-wing President."
There were no midmorning results and they would not have provided the figures she claimed as unlike the e-voting system, they could only ever provide percentage estimates unless all polling stations had exist polls (which they didn't as they were banned).
"The figures were early indications that, for the first time in the country's history, the President may have his term in office cut short by a referendum."
Hmmm. this really establishes her agenda, after refering to Chavez as authoritarian (like all governments by definition) and a 'firebrand', she fails to mention that the referendum and the constitution that made it possible, were both introduced by Chavez since being democratically elected - so of course he is the only president in the country's history to face having his tem cut short by a referendum of the people rather than a military or media coup.
Independent? ha, of what?
Comments
Hide the following comment
Like Channel 4 news
16.08.2004 13:36
The sports and sex agenda seems to rule with much of what one would think of as news exnominated. Balanced debate may be found in te early hours of the morning on radio if you're lucky...Iraq and the Olympic games also spring to mind as part of the media's statist crackdown with the BBC versus Blair little more than a sideshow. Free speech my arse!
m