Hugo Chavez Shuts Down Opposition TV Station, Same Guy FCC Czar Praised

Hugo Chavez has shut down the only remaining TV station in Venezuela which openly opposed his policies.

President Obama's diversity czar at the Federal Communications Commission has spoken publicly of getting white media executives to "step down" in favor of minorities, prescribed policies to make liberal talk radio more successful, and described Hugo Chavez's rise to power in Venezuela "an incredible revolution." Mark Lloyd's provocative comments - most made during a tenure at the liberal Center for American Progress think tank - are giving fodder to critics who say Mr. Obama has appointed too many "czars" to government positions that don't require congressional approval. They are also worrying to some conservatives who fear the FCC might use its powers to remove their competitive advantage on talk radio and television.

In one of his more eye-opening comments, Mr. Lloyd praised Mr. Chavez during a June 2008 conference on media reform, saying the authoritarian Venezuelan president had led "really an incredible revolution - a democratic revolution."

In a video clip of the conference that has been aired by Fox News personality Glenn Beck and others, Mr. Lloyd seems be siding with the anti-American leader against independent media outlets in his own country, some of which supported a short-lived coup against Mr. Chavez in 2002.[Washington Times]

At another conference, Mr. Lloyd spoke about the need to remove white people from powerful positions in the media to give minorities a fairer chance.

Comments

[Luke Weyland]

Most TV & radio stations & newspapers in Venezuela are not owned by the government. Some are owned by local communities. Those owned by corporations are all openly supporting the Yanquistas.

[HT]

Steal­ing is steal­ing — Chavez the Expro­pri­a­tor
— see another arti­cle in Mar­ket­Watch today:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/beware-of-rabid-dog-2010–06-28

[Luke Weyland]

Since 1998 the only time when TV stations were shut down was during the two day rule of Carmona. TV stations have been shut down in Honduras following the coup. Journalists, are regularly murdered (atleast 9 in the past 6 months), but the so called lovers of freedom don't seem to care.