So then, it seems that:
It’s OK to bomb a state TV station (killing journalists) because they were showing propaganda (Serbia’s RTS) It’s OK to bomb independent TV stations (killing journalists) because they were showing propaganda. (Al Jazeera)
But it’s not OK to legally withdraw a broadcast license for a TV station (without killing the journalists) that shows propaganda. And was involved in a coup against a democratically elected government. (RCTV) Doing that would be terrible blow against freedom of speech! (RCTV can now only be seen on cable)
This ‘act of revenge’ by Chavez is years after the attempted coup, so it would definitely be a dish served cold. How long would an Al Qaeda funded and staffed TV station remain on air in the USA or UK?
I’m not one of the many people who idolise Hugo Chavez (I think he’s a demagogue and thug) but there seems to be a rather disproportionate media outcry against his withdrawal of a broadcast license for RCTV. Even BoingBoing is joining in.
[When NATO bombed RTS I was working in a British TV studio building. Did the RTS technicians and hairdressers deserve to die any more than the ones I passed in the corridor? Not renewing a broadcast license is rather mild in comparison.]
