This is a little how-to blog post. On numerous occasions during the Honduran crisis I have come across websites of newspapers with articles containing gross factual errors. For instance, Le Monde Diplomatique wrote yesterday that Micheletti got immunity for life as “congressman for life”. The truth is of course that it is a purely honorary title, and furthermore, nobody in Honduras enjoys immunity, not even the president.
I have noticed that quite a few newspapers on the left – who are worst at publishing lies – don’t have a comment feature, nor do they post blog pingbacks. Now, some in the center and right who have those features still from time to time print fake facts, but it is less of a problem since the reader can check the comments and blog links. There is usually someone who will point out an error and link to a verifiable source.
By now the reporting in international media is so saturated with falsehoods about Honduras that even right-wing media who supports the country often by mistake let them through. The lies dominate over the truth by a wide margin.
So my advice is, do not trust at all any newspaper that does not provide for reader input, and be very skeptical to those who do.
Thank you for the tip. The word “friend,” “coup de etat,” and constitutional succession” have taken different connotations now. I know what a “golpe de estado” looks like and this word still means the same. ¡Viva Honduras! ¡Viva Honduras! y ¡Viva Honduras!
Two of the biggest errors regarding Honduras and I haven’t found a way to explain them are:
1: “Restore Democracy”: Why can’t media understand that Democracy was preserved when we removed Zelaya? He wanted to destroy democracy and give unto himself the powers that Chavez has in Venezuela using his same trick: A Constituent Assembly. Its exactly the same.
2. “A divided or polarized nation”. Sure, there are people with different takes on the situation, as there are different opinions on any topic in any other country. But Honduras didn’t seem too divided when the “Seleccion” qualified to the world cup or on the topic of amnisty.
You bring up a good point with “restore democracy”. In Swedish we respond to that kind of arguments with the saying “You are beating in open doors.”
There was a good example of that kind of propaganda in FOX News when Yassir Arafat was locked up in some place surrounded by the Israeli army. FOX kept saying many times per hour “When will Arafat denounce violence?” Then it happened that Arafat’s wife called and said that Yassir cannot call because he is without phone, but that he has repeatedly denounced violence. They went to commercial break. When returning, they continued as if nothing happened with their “When will Arafat denounce violence?”
That’s how they are.