Algo huele mal en Citgo: Caso VHeadline.com

Otra denuncia más de veto "chavista":

Es bastante extraño que un sitio dedicado promover e informar sobre todo para ciudadanos estadounidenses las cosas buenas que pasan en Venezuela como www.vheadline.com (la mayoría sobre acciones gubernamentales), haya sido vetado por Citgo, quien mantenía publicidad en ese sitio, y según el artículo de ese sitio que anexo a continuación, no sólo eliminaron abruptamaente todo anuncio (léase financiamiento), sino que tiene prohibido siquiera nombrarla o aunque sea sacar fotos de una estación de servicio. Parece una cosa de locos. Me gustaría saber qué es lo que pasó aquí, a qué obedece esa política que se parece mucho a la censura, y a las cosas que acuso constantemente que pasan en el gobierno.

Tendremos que preguntarle Rangel Gómez, o no sé a quién, porque siguiendo la tradición revolucionaria, los aliados que caen en desgracia sobre todo si es por denunciar corrupción y que son mal vistos por los sectores de poder, están embromados porque entoncces no pueden hablar ni en los medios chavistas ni de oposición, y como no hay más... La verdad es que yo no tengo más información que la que acabo de leer, así que no sé mas.

Aquí les dejo esta joya para los que sepan inglés, los demas se tendrán que fiar de lo que les digo y visitar el sitio, y escribir, si quieren, y buscar información adicional sobre este reiterativo y aberrante asunto.

También dice que si esto nos preocupa podemos preguntarle a nuestro embajador en Washington aquí:

Venezuelan Ambassy
1099 30th St., N.W.,
Washington D.C. 20007
USA
Main #:(202) 342 2214
Fax #:  (202) 342 6820
Email: apaiva@embavenez-us.org o a la oficina de Citgo acá:

Raphael Gomez at Houston (832) 486.4000

Personalmente le escribiré al embajador a ver si sabe algo de esto, si desea contestarme.

Estamos pendientes,

Christian van der Dys

Published: Sunday, February 19, 2006
Bylined to: Mary MacElveen

Do not take anger out on the oil company, but rather on the rogue element!

VHeadline.com commentarist Mary MacElveen writes: To the many VHeadline.com readers around the globe ... but more especially here in the United States where we take 'freedom of the press' very seriously and where censorship is abhorred ... who have read the alert put out by the editor for this e-publication.

You may well ask yourself what this means.

Well as a journalist whose work has been effected, I will tell you.  On December 20th, 2005, VHeadline.com was notified that a major US oil company would cut off all advertising to our site.  No explanation was given although an agreement had been reached earlier that month for the long-term advertising to be continued through 2006.

In fact the payment had already been confirmed by a senior executive just before he went on Christmas vacation to Venezuela and arrangements had been made on the strength of it to send Christmas bonuses to a team of editorial and technical volunteers who make VHeadline possible.

It was an obvious setback to our unique efforts to combat the seawall of disinformation that has been spread about the good things that are happening in Venezuela but, very much to the editor's astonishment, just two days before Christmas he received another missal ordering VHeadline immediately to remove all pictorial representations of the company's logo from the website, including the company's logo on a leading Venezuelan racing driver's competition uniform...

The unexplained decision to kill VHeadline's advertising contract just hours before payment was to be made, and the additional cease and desist order smack very much of being the vindictive actions of a rogue element within the US oil company and could, of course, been seen as a mechanism by which to make VHeadline.com's continued publication an impracticality ... in other words, an effort to shut us up!

The reason I do not name the US oil company here is because I want this editorial to be published in VHeadline and, under current conditions, an ethical editorial stance has been taken not to publish newsfiles related directly or indirectly to the oil company while this e-publication is subject to what is logically considered to be an infringement and/or restraint on its constitutional freedoms to publish (or not to publish)  illustrations which include the company's logo (for example VHeadline.com is banned from publishing a picture of the oil company filling station!).

For example: In December, I covered the delivery of low cost heating oil to the Bronx and took several pictures.  VHeadline.com is now banned from showing these pictures to you although they are copyrighted and owned by myself.  Personally, I take offense when I travel to New York City on my own dime and am subsequently denied the right and freedom to publish any photographs I may have taken where this company's logo can be seen ... call it blatant censorship at best!

• The status quo irks all the more since I have vehemently supported the oil company's policies in the past and have told everyone to purchase the company's oil products so that the profits from sales can go to feed the poor within Venezuela.

Yesterday on a trip, and in view of the impasse, my husband asked if we should go to the company's filling station to fill up knowing that a rogue element by the name of Raphael Gomez continues to refuse to explain the whys and wherefores of what has happened.

My response was immediate: "Abolutely!" I said. "We should not punish Venezuela's poor because of this rogue element." I even told a man filling up at the station where the profits will go and he was both amazed and gave a warm smile of appreciation.

If this act of censorship and arrogance angers you, please feel free to telephone Raphael Gomez at Houston (832) 486.4000 and also please feel free to express your angst by contacting the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Their contact information is below:

Venezuelan Ambassy
1099 30th St., N.W.,
Washington D.C. 20007
USA
Main #:(202) 342 2214
Fax #:  (202) 342 6820
Email: apaiva@embavenez-us.org

I have read countless stories about the company's (otherwise) good works in cooperation with the Venezuelan Embassy since we were forced to comply with Mr. Gomez' unexplained edict and it angers me that a muzzle has been placed on me ... there have been many who have sent me news releases where the only action available to me is to delete the email since I am prohibited from writing about it in this e-publication.

In the meantime, I have read that the religious right in this (USA) country have started a boycott against the company and again, I feel powerless to add to this discussion.

Quite frankly, and I address this to both the company and the Venezuelan administration, the enemy is NOT VHeadline.com ... more closely you may find it within.

Again, I say, do not take anger out on the oil company, but rather on the rogue element responsible for the censorship we are experiencing at VHeadline.com...

His name is Raphael Gomez telephone Houston (832) 486.4000

Mary MacElveen
mary@vheadline.com

http://www.vheadline.com/MacElveen