A Balanced Portrait

Something truly astounding happened this fine Sunday morning. My local paper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ran an even-handed, balanced story on Hugo Chavez.

Chavez is potent force

How can I say it was balanced? Well for starters, the story labels Chavez as a 'leftist'. I didn't know journalists could use that word correctly. Second, the story gives good space to Chavez's critics without painting them (too much) as wealthy robber barons. Third, it discusses his dictatorial leanings (comparisons to Stalin are even made), including his threats to Venezuela's independent media outlets.

The one criticism I have, however, is the way the story portrays Chavez's relationship with Castro. For example, the following quotes from a Chavez supporter goes unchallenged:

Luisa Nieves, 53, said a core of impoverished Venezuelans had waited for decades for a leader like Cuba's Fidel Castro to come to their rescue."I believe that Castro is a humanitarian," said Nieves, a coordinator for 15 free health clinics opened in her neighborhood since Chavez took power.

Like more than 400 others that have opened in Caracas since Chavez was elected, each of the clinics is staffed by a Cuban doctor sent as part of an "oil-for-doctors" agreement forged between Chavez and Castro, whose country remains under U.S. imposed economic sanctions.

"Since I was a small girl, I've listened to Castro's name and I've heard of him. If he were a bad person, the people would not be supporting him," she said. "We're headed toward 21st century socialism. It's a socialism of equality, with no racial discrimination."

All of that is of course BS, and the reporters could have at least pointed out that Castro may not actually be a humanitarian. At the same time, however, the Castro stuff does provide a revealing glimpse into the Latin American mind set and so helps explain Chavez's popularity.