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By Alan MacLeod Army generals appearing on television to demand the resignation and arrest of an elected civilian head of state seems like a textbook example of a coup. And yet that is certainly not how corporate media are presenting the weekend\u2019s events in Bolivia.<\/p>\n No establishment outlet framed the action as a coup; instead, President Evo Morales \u201cresigned\u201d (ABC News<\/b>, 11\/10\/19<\/a>), amid widespread \u201cprotests\u201d (CBS News<\/b>, 11\/10\/19<\/a>) from an \u201cinfuriated population\u201d (New York Times<\/b>, 11\/10\/19<\/a>) angry at the \u201celection fraud\u201d (Fox News<\/b>, 11\/10\/19<\/a>) of the \u201cfull-blown dictatorship\u201d (Miami Herald<\/b>, 11\/9\/19<\/a>). When the word \u201ccoup\u201d is used at all, it comes only as an accusation from Morales or another official from his government, which corporate media have been demonizing since his election in 2006 (FAIR.org<\/b>, 5\/6\/09<\/a>, 8\/1\/12<\/a>, 4\/11\/19<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The New York Times<\/b> (11\/10\/19<\/a>) did not hide its approval at events, presenting Morales as a power-hungry despot who had finally \u201clost his grip on power,\u201d claiming he was \u201cbesieged by protests\u201d and \u201cabandoned by allies\u201d like the security services. His authoritarian tendencies, the news article claimed, \u201cworried critics and many supporters for years,\u201d and allowed one source to claim that his overthrow marked \u201cthe end of tyranny\u201d for Bolivia. With an apparent nod to balance, it did note that Morales \u201cadmitted no wrongdoing\u201d and claimed he was a \u201cvictim of a coup.\u201d By that point, however, the well had been thoroughly poisoned.<\/p>\n CNN<\/b> (11\/10\/19<\/a>) dismissed the results of the recent election<\/a>, where Bolivia gave Morales another term in office, as beset with \u201caccusations of election fraud,\u201d presenting them as a farce where \u201cMorales declared himself the winner.\u201d Time<\/b>\u2019s report (11\/10\/19<\/a>) presented the catalyst for his \u201cresignation\u201d as \u201cprotests\u201d and \u201cfraud allegations,\u201d rather than being forced at gunpoint by the military. Meanwhile, CBS News<\/b> (11\/10\/19<\/a>) did not even include the word \u201callegations,\u201d its headline reading, \u201cBolivian President Evo Morales Resigns After Election Fraud and Protests.\u201d<\/p>\n Delegitimizing foreign elections where the \u201cwrong\u201d person wins, of course, is a favorite pastime of corporate media (FAIR.org<\/b>, 5\/23\/18<\/a>). There is a great deal of uncritical acceptance of the Organization of American States\u2019 (OAS) opinions on elections, including in coverage of Bolivia\u2019s October vote (e.g., BBC<\/b>, 11\/10\/19<\/a>; Vox<\/b>, 11\/10\/19<\/a>; Voice of America<\/b>, 11\/10\/19<\/a>), despite the lack of evidence to back up its assertions. No mainstream outlet warned its readers that the OAS is a Cold War organization, explicitly set up to halt the spread of leftist governments. In 1962, for example, it passed an official resolution<\/a> claiming that the Cuban government was \u201cincompatible with the principles and objectives of the inter-American system.\u201d Furthermore, the organization is bankrolled by the US government; indeed, in justifying its continued funding, US AID argued<\/a> that the OAS is a crucial tool in \u201cpromot[ing] US interests in the Western hemisphere by countering the influence of anti-US countries\u201d like Bolivia.<\/p>\n In contrast, there was no coverage at all in US corporate media of the detailed new report<\/a> from the independent Washington-based think tank CEPR, which claimed that the election results were \u201cconsistent\u201d with the win totals announced. There was also scant mention of the kidnapping<\/a> and torture<\/a> of elected officials, the ransacking<\/a> of Morales\u2019 house, the burning of public buildings<\/a> and of the indigenous Wiphala flag<\/a>, all of which were widely shared on social media and would have suggested a very different interpretation of events.<\/p>\n Words have power. And framing an event is a powerful method of conveying legitimacy and suggesting action. \u201cCoups,\u201d almost by definition, cannot be supported, while \u201cprotests\u201d generally should be. Chilean President Sebastian Pi\u00f1era, a conservative US-backed billionaire, has literally declared war<\/a> on over a million people demonstrating against his rule. Corporate media, however, have framed that uprising not as a protest, but rather a \u201criot\u201d (e.g., NBC News<\/b>, 10\/20\/19<\/a>; Reuters<\/b>, 11\/9\/19<\/a>; Toronto Sun<\/b>, 11\/9\/19<\/a>). In fact, Reuters<\/b> (11\/8\/19<\/a>) described the events as Pi\u00f1era responding to \u201cvandals\u201d and \u201clooters.\u201d Who would possibly oppose that?<\/p>\n Morales was the first indigenous president in his majority indigenous nation\u2014one that has been ruled by a white European elite since the days of the conquistadors. While in office, his Movement Towards Socialism party has managed to<\/a> reduce poverty by 42% and extreme poverty by 60%, cut unemployment in half and conduct a number of impressive public works programs. Morales saw himself as part of a decolonizing wave across Latin America, rejecting neoliberalism and nationalizing the country\u2019s key resources, spending the proceeds<\/a> on health, education and affordable food for the population.<\/p>\n His policies drew the great ire of the US government, Western corporations and the corporate press, who function as the ideological shock troops against leftist governments in Latin America. In the case of Venezuela, Western journalists unironically call themselves<\/a> \u201cthe resistance\u201d to the government, and describe it as their No. 1 goal to \u201cget rid of Maduro,\u201d all the while presenting themselves as neutral and unbiased actors.<\/p>\n The media message from the Bolivia case is clear: A coup is not a coup if we like the outcome.<\/p>\n Source: https:\/\/fair.org\/home\/the-bolivian-coup-is-not-a-coup-because-us-wanted-it-to-happen\/<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Alan MacLeod November 11, 2019 – fair.org Army generals appearing on television to demand the resignation and arrest of an elected civilian head of state seems like a textbook example of a coup. And yet that is certainly not how corporate media are presenting the weekend\u2019s events in Bolivia. No establishment outlet framed the … Continue reading The Bolivian Coup Is Not a Coup—Because US Wanted It to Happen<\/span>
\nNovember 11, 2019 – fair.org<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n