As you well know, president Hugo Chaves won the recall vote in Venezuela on the 15th. I find it fascinating to read the coverage of the event from different media sources. Please keep in mind that this is the same president we tried to pretend was legitimately ousted in a US backed military coup just a few years ago.
One article is from the Economist: Even the title (Chávez wins, his opponents cry foul) is pure propaganda given that they say foul play was not an option in the article. Look at the language they use, they iteration of his military past, the focus on the negative.
"Furthermore, the president has remained popular among Venezuela’s poorest, despite the way his policies have impoverished the country. Since he was first elected six years ago, Venezuelans’ average income has fallen by around a quarter. The recent surge in oil prices has showered the government in oil revenues, allowing Mr Chávez to introduce some populist social programmes that may have swung him the vote. But these handouts are unlikely to compensate fully for years of steep economic decline, nor for roaring inflation (around 30% last year)."
Now compare that with the Counterpunch article:
"what Chavez is attempting is nothing more or less than the creation of a radical, social-democracy in Venezuela that seeks to empower the lowest strata of society....Just under a million children from the shanty-towns and the poorest villages now obtain a free education; 1.2 million illiterate adults have been taught to read and write; secondary education has been made available to 250,000 children whose social status excluded them from this privilege during the ancien regime; three new university campuses were functioning by 2003 and six more are due to be completed by 2006."