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New York Times: Colombia Chief Hails Democratic and Economic Gains (4/23/08) by Simon Romero
The latest article to rehabilitate blood-soaked Colombia as a beacon of justice and democracy in Latin America is a typical one for Simon Romero—uncritically parroting President Álvaro Uribe's own talking points."We recognize we are some kind of exception in Latin America," he said, explaining Colombia’s openness to private investment from both domestic and foreign sources...in a subtle dig at the socialist policies of President Hugo Chávez.... "In Colombia, we have not insurgents against dictators," he said. "We have terrorists against democracy."
Indeed, that is generally how Colombia’s conflict is portrayed in U.S. media, which holds Uribe to entirely different standards than Chávez. How many times was Chávez's attempt to amend the constitution so he could run for another term referred to in U.S. media without being flagged as undemocratic, and as evidence of Chávez’ authoritarian leanings? Yet Uribe's attempts to do the same thing are reported by Romero without any of the same cautionary notes.
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