Venezuela had an election last week and per usual, the country’s dictator and caudillo Nicolás Maduro declared victory in a questionable at best election. The fallout from that remains, but one article by America’s premier newspaper really stepped in it.
The New York Times described the country and its ails in a very questionable manner.
“Founded by former President Hugo Chávez, Mr. Maduro’s mentor, the movement initially promised to lift millions out of poverty,” the Times wrote, describing the context surrounding Maduro’s “victory.”
“For a time it did. But in recent years, the socialist model has given way to brutal capitalism, economists say, with a small state-connected minority controlling much of the nation’s wealth.”
First off… “economists say” this? Which economists? They’re not named in the article. I’ve already sounded off about the absurdity of journalists using “experts say” as a crutch, and that’s exactly what this is.
But for these supposed experts to make a claim as asinine as Venezuela’s economy is any way, shape, or form capitalist?! Nonsense!
Venezuela has been a socialist economy since Chávez took over, and is lucky that it sits on a wealth of oil otherwise it’d have collapsed entirely a long time ago. But guess what..the company that manages that supply is OWNED BY THE STATE. That’s not capitalist. That’s a feature of a command economy.
This is basic stuff, the kind of stuff we learned in sixth grade. Yet the NEW YORK TIMES can’t get it right!
Reason Magazine wrote, “When a small state-connected minority controls much of the nation’s wealth—and maintains its grip on power by outlawing dissent and cheating in elections—then the ruling ideology is socialism, almost by definition.”
Again, basic stuff!
When we can’t expect a basic level of competence in our media, how can they expect us to trust them?
I drone on and on about the need for reporters to have some level of understanding of the thing they’re writing about, but I keep having to say it!
I’m so glad that our reporters at The Texan understand the basic differences between capitalism and socialism.
That’s just one more reason to subscribe, if you haven’t already.
It’s really not that difficult to avoid stepping in it like this. But then again…maybe it is.