Screencaps from ABC News and PBS NewsHour
By Situation Theatre 11/3/2019
A coup attempt to oust a democratically elected leader, orchestrated by a U.S. official with a history of war crimes and convicted of lying to Congress, can only be described as heroic.
The ABC continues to make its independence clear with a neutral position that the man who was recently elected President with six million votes is an evil dictator, and the man who is backed by notorious war criminal Elliott Abrams and declared himself president after receiving no votes, is the saviour of Venezuela.
Those who have been following The Intercept’s coverage in recent weeks may have come to question the ABC’s handling of Venezuelan politics.
They may have noticed the recent online stories such as Venezuelan Opposition Leader Greeted By Huge Crowds On Return Home which lionise Guaidó and demonise Maduro.
They may have watched ABC reports containing multiple interviews with Guaidó’s supporters and very little interaction with Maduro supporters.
Or they may have paid attention to the tone of all of their coverage of the oil-rich Latin American nation and link it to Glenn Greenwald’s argument that “the corporate U.S. media – precisely because it is State TV even as it is loves to accuse others of being that – never airs the views of governments adverse to the U.S. Government except in the most cursory and mocking way”.
If you want to watch vintage "State TV," watch this clip: a reporter embedded with US military, uncritically spouting every line from the US Government's regime change effort, omitting key facts (like Elliott Abrams previously used humanitarian aid pretexts to smuggle weapons): https://t.co/T6NOiqMWRr
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 17, 2019
They may see how the ABC has dutifully reported the false stories circulated by the US government and its media apparatchiks.
They may think about the five most recent members of the ABC board handpicked by Mitch Fifield or the new Chair selected by Scott Morrison who has spent most of her career serving at the pleasure of either the Packers or the Murdochs.
Or they may just swallow the US state propaganda regurgitated by the ABC like any good citizen of a client state should do.