Freedom!

Recently in Venezuela a TV channel, RCTV stopped broadcasting free to air because the government decided not to renew the concession which comes up every 20 years. The channel was known as a channel of the opposition. That was it was dedicated to removing and discrediting the current government. It has been labelled a Cuban style crack-down on freedom of expression and condemned mostly by the US other foreign media sources. It has also been the basis for a number of protests.

On this issue specifically I find little sympathy for the corporate body involved. Not just because of the quality of their programming or the role that they played in the coup of 2002 to remove democratically elected Hugo Chavez from power. For the later reason alone I think that it's fortunate none of those involved wit the channel have been charged. If the same were to have happened in Australia or the US I´m sure the reaction would have been swifter and more severe. (If you want to read more about it http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=11970 is a good source or google it and you will find various views.)

In a broader sense what are the freedoms we are enjoying in the west? We have the freedom to watch what we want right? But how broad is the spectrum of opinion in corporate media soures? Today tonight on Channel 7 in Australia or Fox News in the US
are some of the greatest manipulators of public opinion. They have the ability to manufacture consent to kill other humans out of fear. They then change course without ever explaining why.. manufacturing consent Naom Chomsky