The Associated Press needs to get its facts straight on Venezuela/Colombia

By Justin Delacour

Latin America News Review

June 11, 2008

This morning I wrote a letter complaining about the fact that AP's Caracas bureau is passing off erroneous interpretations as facts in its reports. To complain about error-ridden AP reporting, you can call the newswire at 1-212-621-1500 or send a message to info@ap.org

Below is the letter I wrote to AP's Caracas bureau this morning:

In a report about Hugo Chavez's supposed "turnaround" on the FARC, you wrote the following yesterday:

"The self-described revolutionary [Hugo Chavez] made an even bigger turnaround on Sunday, urging Colombia's leftist rebels to lay down their weapons and unilaterally release their hostages. Only five months after urging world leaders to back their armed struggle, he said that armed guerrilla movements are 'history'."

Your characterization of Chavez's earlier statements is COMPLETELY false. Never has Chavez urged anyone to back the FARC's armed struggle. Nor has Chavez ever made a statement indicating that he himself backs the FARC. In point of fact, Chavez called for the removal of the terrorist classification of the FARC, which is COMPLETELY different than to call for support of the FARC's armed struggle. As Chavez clarified at the time of his January statement, the primary purpose of calling for the removal of the terrorist classification was to facilitate peace negotiations. Unfortunately, amidst all the hysteria surrounding Chavez's January statement, the Associated Press and many other U.S. publications have completely distorted and decontextualized the Venezuelan president's words. Recall that Chavez proposed the removal of the terrorist classification in the wake of the guerrillas' release of the two female hostages. Chavez interpreted the hostage release as an indication that the FARC was willing to negotiate. Viewed in context, Chavez's call for the removal of the terrorist classification was a clear gesture of support for negotiations, NOT armed struggle.

Moreover, there was nothing particularly unusual about Chavez's position. Up until 2002, the European Union resisted classifying the FARC as a terrorist organization on grounds that such a classification could preclude potential peace negotiations. Brazil has also resisted a formal terrorist classification on the same grounds. Never had there been any suggestion that to resist the terrorist classification somehow constituted support for the FARC.

The crass uniformity with which a hysterical U.S. press has mischaracterized Chavez's words has been quasi-Orwellian. Throughout this entire affair, English-language correspondents have acted in a manner that is hardly distinguishable from that of a propaganda ministry.

Unless AP's Caracas bureau decides to rectify its ways and remove blatantly fallacious statements from its reports, I and others will have little choice but to begin issuing complaints to AP's corporate headquarters.