Venezuelan Channel RCTV closed by Chavez

Last night the oldest channel in the whole country was forced out of the air (against constitutional rights) by President Chavez.

RCTV who refused to alter its critique of the current government to favor a Fidel-wannabe president is now out of air and more then 3000 people are out of work as the government took measures to assure that this people who are against a regiment communist in the country were to be employed by other TV channels.


Last words of Eladio Laréz at the last minutes of the closing of the Channel.(Spanish)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_4zLvaCp44

RCTV is like the Fox News of Venezuela, only worse. It illegally supported an overthrow against him in 2002. If an American channel instigated it's citizens to violently overthrow the democratically elected leader of the USA, would the channel be allowed to continue to operate its propaganda for another 4 years? I think not. They would be immediately shut down and tried for sedition and treason. I mean, look at how some Americans freaked out at the prospect of Al Jazeera (hardly a radical news source) being available.

When RCTV's VHF license came up for renewal yesterday, Chavez's government simply decided not to renew it. Don't make it sound like he marched in there with guns blazing. Plus, RCTV's cable and satellite licenses are still valid. A very mild reaction, all things considered.