[Today the New York Times published an article on Venezuela that just goes contrary to what I have observed here in Venezuela, and contrary to common sense.]

Common Sense? The New York Times & Venezuela's Elections

Friday 5 October 2012, by Steve Ellner- Alborada

Today the NY Times published an article on Venezuela that just goes contrary to what I have observed here in Venezuela, and contrary to common sense:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/world/americas/in-venezuela-fears-pers...

I haven’t heard anybody here in Venezuela express fear that the vote this Sunday will not be secret. The opposition (for obvious reasons) is the first to assure people that voting will be secret. So why does the NY Times write an article about this topic, and also why do they leave the impression that Chavez controls the media when, in fact, much of the media is controlled by anti-Chavez radicals Fox News-style.

What I find incredibly ridiculous is the following paragraph in the article:

“I’m not going to take the risk,” said Fabiana Osteicoechea, 22, a law student in Caracas who said she would vote for Mr. Chávez even though she is an enthusiastic supporter of Mr. Capriles. She said she was certain that Mr. Chávez would win and was afraid that the government career she hopes to have as a prosecutor could be blocked before it begins if she votes the wrong way.”

I looked up the name Fabiana Osteicoechea in google. This person exists. Does it make sense that someone with this kind of name tells the NY Times that they are afraid of being identified as pro- Capriles and so they are going to vote for Chavez so as not to put in jeopardy their professional aspirations. Does the NY Times believe that people don’t have any thinking capacity at all?

Steve Ellner has been teaching at the Universidad de Oriente in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, since 1977, his latest book 'Rethinking Venezuelan Politics: Class, Conflict and the Chávez Phenomenon' (Lynne Rienner Publishers) is out now. https://www.rienner.com/uploads/4ae0dc8a96264.pdf

::: RELATED POST:
Oops! Embarrassing Quote in NYT Article Says a Lot About NYT Reporting on Venezuela (By Mark Weisbrot)
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/the-americas-blog/vza-test

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