8 ms·

US Journalist arrested after reporting on Venezuela

16 points by sudoaza 7y ago

davidw 7y ago
Arresting journalists is not a good look. It doesn't justify an arrest or intimidation, but: supporting the Maduro regime is not a good look either.
- sixQuarks 7y ago
  I don't claim to know everything that's going on in Venezuela, but this video presents some good information that you don't get from mainstream media. What you're not being told about Venezuela: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMeli0BA3UA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMeli0BA3UA
- mc32 7y ago
  Heh: >” the internationally recognized government of Venezuela’s democratically elected President Nicolás Maduro...” Once you find yourself having to start asserting things like that you know there is propaganda going on. Declare your opposition ineligible to run, intimidate anyone who disagrees with you, bribe voters and then call it democratic. Well, by this count Saddam was democratically elected in Iraq.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- Miner49er 7y ago
  You can be against both you know. I don't see anything in this article saying the journalist is pro Maduro, it only shows that he is anti-opposition.
- hrieo9jrjr 7y ago
  Since it happened in the US, it should be immaterial in the eyes of the law if the author appeared to support the Maduro regime. The public can levy consequence on a private citizen for what they say, fire them or kick them out of a rental, whatever, but the law is not “supposed to” be used that way. Authoritarianism is enabled by public apathy to engage the political discourse honestly & blind faith everyone else agrees with their version of the rules.
- spamizbad 7y ago
  I mean whether or Maduro is good or bad is irrelevant. US-backed coups have routinely blown up in our faces. Juan Guaidó is problematic in his own respects. The entire reason why the US backed his coup was because he (falsely) claimed he had the broad support of the military, only to later admit that he didn't have enough support. There's a very real chance the US may have committed itself to another war based on lies. Foreign politicians feeding our national security complex false information is a bigger threat to our national security than Maduro. Think about the damage Rocco Martino and Naji Sabri did. Guaidó's only difference in so much as he was unsuccessful (so far).
  - davidw 7y ago
    > I mean whether or Maduro is good or bad is irrelevant. Yes, it is totally irrelevant to an arrest or intimidation. It is relevant in that you might not think highly of someone for supporting that kind of regime.
- mikece 7y ago
  Is support of the Maduro regime a crime? I know that being a journalist isn't and if the charge is "simple assault" then it sounds like there police went so far beyond what is reasonable in this case I have to wonder if some sort of gov't surveillance prompted it. We know, thanks to the Snowden revelations, that the gov't pays particular attention to journalists and this seems to be proof of it.
- A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago
  I am not sure if this comment is being serious or not, but I will take it at face value. And I am saying this as a person who enforces sanctions on a day to day basis, why is it cool to, apparently, intimidate the 'wrong' side for reporting things on the ground?
  - davidw 7y ago
    Intimidating journalists is flat out wrong, period.
    - A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago
      Then my argument is that 'look' of supporting Maduro does not matter. I will add that I did not find proof of that support of that support in the text. Unless just not reporting in line with established narrative is considered support. Edit: added "add"
      - davidw 7y ago
        I can hold both thoughts in my head at the same time!
        A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago
        Most people do. And kudos for recognizing it. But do you not find the two statements in conflict with one another? More to the point, what, in your eyes, is more important? Being able to do your job as a journalist or worrying about PR/optics of supporting individual decried by US gvmnt.
- duaoebg 7y ago
  I think people underestimate the popular support that Maduro enjoys. It's what happens in a democracy with a dominate population of poor underclass with a departing middle-class and a cleptocratic elite. The situation is surprisingly stable. I see no humane resolution to this problem.
strictnein 7y ago
Really disappointing to see an article from The Gray Zone make the front page here, to be honest. Everything in this article is misleading and convoluted, including the title.
- gruez 7y ago
  >Everything in this article is misleading and convoluted, including the title. Can you elaborate on a few of them?
  - carlosdp 7y ago
    There's literally 0 evidence presented in the article to suggest the arrest was political and the only source cited is the very guy who got arrested (their own reporter)...
    - gruez 7y ago
      >There's literally 0 evidence presented in the article to suggest the arrest was political There's this: >The arrest warrant was five months old. According to an individual familiar with the case, the warrant for Blumenthal’s arrest was initially rejected. Strangely, this false charge was revived months later without the defendant’s knowledge. Sadly there's no court documents or police records to back up this claim.

16 points by sudoaza 7y ago

Arresting journalists is not a good look. It doesn't justify an arrest or intimidation, but: supporting the Maduro regime is not a good look either.

sixQuarks 7y ago
I don't claim to know everything that's going on in Venezuela, but this video presents some good information that you don't get from mainstream media. What you're not being told about Venezuela: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMeli0BA3UA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMeli0BA3UA
mc32 7y ago
Heh: >” the internationally recognized government of Venezuela’s democratically elected President Nicolás Maduro...” Once you find yourself having to start asserting things like that you know there is propaganda going on. Declare your opposition ineligible to run, intimidate anyone who disagrees with you, bribe voters and then call it democratic. Well, by this count Saddam was democratically elected in Iraq.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
Miner49er 7y ago
You can be against both you know. I don't see anything in this article saying the journalist is pro Maduro, it only shows that he is anti-opposition.
hrieo9jrjr 7y ago
Since it happened in the US, it should be immaterial in the eyes of the law if the author appeared to support the Maduro regime. The public can levy consequence on a private citizen for what they say, fire them or kick them out of a rental, whatever, but the law is not “supposed to” be used that way. Authoritarianism is enabled by public apathy to engage the political discourse honestly & blind faith everyone else agrees with their version of the rules.
spamizbad 7y ago
I mean whether or Maduro is good or bad is irrelevant. US-backed coups have routinely blown up in our faces. Juan Guaidó is problematic in his own respects. The entire reason why the US backed his coup was because he (falsely) claimed he had the broad support of the military, only to later admit that he didn't have enough support. There's a very real chance the US may have committed itself to another war based on lies. Foreign politicians feeding our national security complex false information is a bigger threat to our national security than Maduro. Think about the damage Rocco Martino and Naji Sabri did. Guaidó's only difference in so much as he was unsuccessful (so far).
- davidw 7y ago
  > I mean whether or Maduro is good or bad is irrelevant. Yes, it is totally irrelevant to an arrest or intimidation. It is relevant in that you might not think highly of someone for supporting that kind of regime.
mikece 7y ago
Is support of the Maduro regime a crime? I know that being a journalist isn't and if the charge is "simple assault" then it sounds like there police went so far beyond what is reasonable in this case I have to wonder if some sort of gov't surveillance prompted it. We know, thanks to the Snowden revelations, that the gov't pays particular attention to journalists and this seems to be proof of it.
A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago
I am not sure if this comment is being serious or not, but I will take it at face value. And I am saying this as a person who enforces sanctions on a day to day basis, why is it cool to, apparently, intimidate the 'wrong' side for reporting things on the ground?
- davidw 7y ago
  Intimidating journalists is flat out wrong, period.
  - A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago
    Then my argument is that 'look' of supporting Maduro does not matter. I will add that I did not find proof of that support of that support in the text. Unless just not reporting in line with established narrative is considered support. Edit: added "add"
    - davidw 7y ago
      I can hold both thoughts in my head at the same time!
      - A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago
        Most people do. And kudos for recognizing it. But do you not find the two statements in conflict with one another? More to the point, what, in your eyes, is more important? Being able to do your job as a journalist or worrying about PR/optics of supporting individual decried by US gvmnt.
duaoebg 7y ago
I think people underestimate the popular support that Maduro enjoys. It's what happens in a democracy with a dominate population of poor underclass with a departing middle-class and a cleptocratic elite. The situation is surprisingly stable. I see no humane resolution to this problem.

strictnein 7y ago

Really disappointing to see an article from The Gray Zone make the front page here, to be honest. Everything in this article is misleading and convoluted, including the title.

gruez 7y ago
>Everything in this article is misleading and convoluted, including the title. Can you elaborate on a few of them?
- carlosdp 7y ago
  There's literally 0 evidence presented in the article to suggest the arrest was political and the only source cited is the very guy who got arrested (their own reporter)...
  - gruez 7y ago
    >There's literally 0 evidence presented in the article to suggest the arrest was political There's this: >The arrest warrant was five months old. According to an individual familiar with the case, the warrant for Blumenthal’s arrest was initially rejected. Strangely, this false charge was revived months later without the defendant’s knowledge. Sadly there's no court documents or police records to back up this claim.