The terms of this debate do not correspond to the reality that contains them, but to the story of those who control the media, whose information is consumed on a mass scale by the citizens of different countries. A situation that arises from the defeat of the progressive camp, which has had to assume much of the conservative discourse to guarantee its institutional survival; that is, to maintain enough power to make possible the changes inherent to its electoral program.

As such, the accomplishments of the left wing, which manages to reach power and act in favour of the majorities, are manipulated. Their errors are exaggerated and half-truths take the leading role in the media that are established to attack these progressive movements continuously.

The political and organic weakness of the left wing does not allow it to vindicate, or even defend, its colleagues in the government. Neoliberal accounts mark leftists as the villains so intensely that defending them entails identifying with them. Not being able to confront this story, the left wing is forced to assume it.

Hence, the oligarchy is able to impose its vision, since it finds no social, political or media resistance. In this case Juan Guaidó, a key advocator of a coup d’état who opts for bringing war to his country, is the President of that nation, while Jorge Glas, an official elected by millions of votes who is in jail for staying true to the political program with which he presented himself during elections, is a “corrupt” man who should be in jail.

Media analysis

This situation has been reached through a combination of media strategies. For example, the case of Jorge Glas has been silenced because the explanation of the case’s context would leave the government of Lenín Moreno, an ally of shareholders of those large media outlets, in a very bad place, in terms of defending its own interests. Meanwhile, Juan Guaidó has been exposed in the media because there was already a scenario of manipulation against the Venezuelan government, which allowed the justification of a coup d’état, and even of covering the coup as a democratic initiative.

El País

• News about Juan Guaidó in the last month: Nine (9)
• News about Jorge Glas in the last month: Zero (0). During this week, evidence has been revealed that shows how the Glas Case was a set-up to take Ecuador’s vice president to jail. In addition the appeal was held this week. Even so, El País has not reported on the situation.
• Language to describe Juan Guaidó: “Leader in the making”, “leader”, “president”, “boss”
• Language to describe Jorge Glas: It is necessary to trace all the way back to August 2017 to find the latest information from El País about Jorge Glas. “Plot of corruption”, “implicated”, “received million-dollar bribes from Brazilian construction company”
• According to El País Juan Guaidó is: the president in charge of Venezuela, a public officer leading a peaceful movement to end the government of Nicolás Maduro.
• According to the facts: He proclaimed himself president in violation of the constitution, leads the application of sanctions that have caused the death of 40,000 Venezuelans for lack of medicines, calls for a foreign military intervention and has collaborated with Colombian narco-paramilitaries to achieve his ends. The most recent street summons that he has appealed to have no support.
• According to El País Jorge Glas is: a corrupt man who received bribes from Odebrecht.
• According to the facts: victim of a set-up according to the evidence leaked by ElEstado.Net. He has been tried with a repealed law, a matter admitted by the very prosecution of Ecuador.

CNN in Spanish

• News about Juan Guaidó in the last month: Thirteen (13)
• News about Jorge Glas in the last month: Zero (0). During this week, evidence has been revealed that shows how the Glas Case was a set-up to take Ecuador’s vice president to jail. In addition, the appeal was held this week. Even so, CNN in Spanish has not considered this juncture important enough to report about it.
• Language to describe Juan Guaidó: “open”, “solution”, “president in charge”, “recognised”
• Language to describe Jorge Glas: It is necessary to go back several years to find any content about the constitutional vice president of Ecuador. “suspended”, “scandal”, “former vice president”, “illicit association”
• According to CNN in Spanish, Juan Guaidó is: the president in charge of Venezuela, a public officer leading a peaceful movement to end the government o Nicolás Maduro.
• According to the facts: he has breached the term he gave to proclaim himself president without going through the polls. He actively participated in the guarimbas during 2017, violent demonstrations that killed citizens, mostly Chavistas, and attacked hospitals, as well as public and private buildings.
• According to CNN in Spanish, Jorge Glas is: a corrupt man who associated himself with illicit business. CNN in Spanish has assumed the argument of the government of Lenín Moreno, expressing that Jorge Glas is the former vice president, when he has been stripped of the office through methods contrary to the constitution.
• According to the Facts: Jorge Glas has been punished for remaining faithful to the political program with which he presented himself during elections; not only has he been transferred from jail to separate him from his family, unjustifiably, but his appeal could entail more years in prison, an occurrence prevented by Ecuadorian law.

BBC

• News about Juan Guaidó in the last month: Four (4)
• News about Jorge Glas in the last month: Zero (0)
• Language to describe Juan Guaidó: “recognised”, “interim president”, “leads”, “great hope”
• Language to describe Jorge Glas: The lack of content on this issue makes analysis impossible.
• According to the BBC Juan Guaidó is: The interim president of Venezuela (some say he is in charge and others interim because he is a figure that does not feature in Venezuelan jurisprudence, being a simple coup d’état). The BBC does not question the fact that Guaidó tried to usurp the position of president without taking into account the popular will, nor the effect of the sanctions that are applied affecting hundreds of thousands of citizens, because the ultra-right leader has requested them from the US government.
• According to the facts: Juan Guaidó tried to lead a military force against the Miraflores Palace on April 30, in whose surroundings were tens of thousands of unarmed citizens. He has tried to break the accords from the discussions between the government and the opposition, to sustain its strategy of economic asphyxiation that allows the conditions of a coup d’état backed by circumstances.
• According to the BBC Jorge Glas is: There is not enough content to carry out this analysis.
• According to the facts: Jorge Glas has been deprived of his security and sent to the most dangerous prison in Ecuador (Latacunga), where he has been the victim of death threats.

This article was translated by Etta Selim of @RevolutionFore6.