🧵🗞️The @nytimes heard that we had labeled @Reuters the most dishonest outlet when it came to Venezuela coverage and, full of outrage, decided to set record straight. And bravo to them for reasserting their disgusting “journalism” credentials. Bear w/ us here (thread)
The piece in question is the one below. A potpourri of misconceptions, low-budget tricks, biased statements and outright lies that could have been written by @tomfriedman (that’s not a compliment). Let’s break down this pile of nonsense
The title+teaser combo is already problematic (see image). Which one is it? Biden is rethinking sanctions b/c of migration or “democracy steps”? Also “easing sanctions” is a bit of an overstatement for “allowing US corporation to make money w/ little to no benefit for Venezuela”
It only gets better. Here’s an understatement parade. “Washington’s staunchest adversary” means “country where the US has incessantly plotted coups.” And “push Maduro away from autocracy” ffs! It’s like saying a failed murder attempt couldn’t push the victim away from drinking
Notice how casually the NYT endorses gangster foreign policy. After a lot of talk about migration and global energy issues, turns out that changes the deadly sanctions that the US imposes *unilaterally* depend on “concrete actions” by the Maduro gov’t
Washington wants the gov’t to talk to its moronic surrogates. But notice this outrageous lie (highlighted). One meeting? The two sides held 3 rounds of talks after signing a memorandum of understanding. Surely even NYT editors can google that…
Another euphemism! “Humanitarian parole program” sounds very fancy for a ridiculously low cap (24k) w/ near-impossible conditions to meet. Also, for all the talk of a “surge” in migration, Venezuelans made up only 7% of border crossings, as reported by the paper of record itself
The a-word is never far off. Yet the only actor here imposing incredible hardship on civilians to blackmail a democratically elected government is the Biden administration. Only corporate journalists have drunk all the American exceptionalism kool-aid
One of the most outrageous depiction of sanctions. A policy that is killing 10s of thousands of people is described as depriving a misbehaved child of their allowance. Corporate media outlets are more than complicit with this collective punishment of the Venezuelan people
Ah, yes! Afghanistan! Such an inspiring and uplifting example where the US stole Afghan reserves after escaping w/ its tail between its legs, and now half the population is in desperate need of humanitarian aid and 15% close to starvation. Mission accomplished!
Just so many lies condensed here. Authoritarian/autocrat is just code for a leader the US wants to overthrow. Democratic concessions means surrendering to US puppets. And the “Vzlan govt” doesn’t get benefits/profits you clowns. The *state* is sovereign over its resources
Stenographers high on their own supply. Leftist leaders worth their salt (Petro seems so) will demand the end of sanctions b/c they are deadly imperialist measures. But NYT journos think everyone will just blindly cheerlead whatever Washington does, like they do
📽️For more on US sanctions, their terrible humanitarian impact, and the criminal role played by the corporate media, check out our "Ultimate Guide" video #SanctionsKill
News🧵The Venezuelan people have begun rebuilding Las Tejerías town after the devastating landslides that left dozens dead.
The Maduro gov't continues the relief efforts while donations keep arriving from across the country. The UN has pledged help. bit.ly/3yuKVxA
Juan Guaidó suffered a strong rebuke after 19 countries voted to oust his representation at the OAS General Assembly marking another setback for the opposition figure who never commanded any real political power in Venezuela. bit.ly/3rKEYJ1
Venezuela’s US-based oil subsidiary CITGO is closer to being seized by creditors after a judge set a share auction process in motion.
The procedure stems from Canadian miner Crystallex’s efforts to collect a 2016 US $1.4B international arbitration award. bit.ly/3MsuAPD
🧵🧵🧵New developments in Venezuela mean it's time for a fresh round of dishonest coverage from the corporate media. Though examples abound, we'll focus on the casual bias of @Reuters and the blatant mistruths from AP and @APjoshgoodman (thread)
AP's original headline said that a recent trip by a US govt delegation to Caracas happened "amid soaring gas prices." But then the reviewed versions, other outlets as well, wiped out that notion altogether. It was just to "rebuild ties"...
Yes, indeed. Amidst historically high fuel prices that completely dominate all politics, a surprise meeting w/ the govt in a country w/ huge oil reserves and a heavily sanctioned industry "did not include the OPEC nation's oil sector" (Reuters). Nothing to see here!
Venezuelan President @NicolasMaduro and Colombia’s President-elect @petrogustavo announced they discussed restoring normality on the 2,200-kilometer border as well as peace, human rights and prosperity issues.
Petro will take office on August 7.
The US loses its Latin America bastion "to destabilize progressive or uncomfortable governments,” Colombian activist Martha Lía Grajales told Venezuelanalysis.
Venezuela has activated Military Community Brigades for Education to ramp up repair works in schools across the country following the successful return to in-person classes.
“They will repair, recover and make the country's schools beautiful,” said President Maduro.
The Summit of the Americas has been a PR disaster for the Biden administration, so to the rescue comes the corporate media with all the bias and dishonesty that can be mustered. Let's look at some highlights (thread) 🧵🧵🧵
Look at this glorious sentence! So US meddling everywhere in the hemisphere is not a fact based on actual policies, but a "nagging concern" some people have. Also, someone give a trophy to the writer/editor who introduced "at times" in this sentence 😂
The above quote is from this Reuters piece. There are other comedy moments sprinkled in, such as that the summit was "conceived as a platform to showcase U.S. leadership in reviving Latin American economies." Some reporter still believes in Santa
Twenty years ago, Venezuelan civilian and military elites staged a coup against the democratically elected Hugo Chávez government. It looked like Chávez would end up on a long list of popular leaders deposed in US-backed coups. But alas, the Venezuelan people had other ideas
Though they were fearful from the start, Venezuelan elites still had hopes that Chávez could be tamed after taking office. But as it became clear that the Bolivarian Revolution was meant to be revolutionary and a real danger to their interests, they began to plot a coup
Civilian and military higher-ups became less and less shy about calling for Chávez to resign or be removed. But nothing would have been possible without the legendarily dishonest role played by the corporate media
🧵 If you mix imperialist enthusiasm with a heavy dose of free-market idolatry and a pinch of a colonial mindset, what do you get? Why yes, you get the Bloomberg editorial board. There's an editorial so full of nonsense we need to tear it to shreds. Come along for the ride!
This is the piece in question. Basically an unconditional endorsement of US imperialism where US interests should trump everything and all other actors are expected to do what Washington tells them to. An interesting glimpse into Beltway rationale though bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
The starting assumption is that reestablishing (oil) ties w/ Venezuela can help "harness its immense energy-producing potential" and "drive a wedge w/ Russia." We'll ignore the nonsense of calling Russia Venezuela's "chief patron", but the leap from A to B is far from clear