It
might seem cavalier for an academically credentialed anthropologist
to assert political influence on the population he is supposed to be
studying; however, Goette-Luciak’s activities fit within a long
tradition.
by
Max Blumenthal
Part
2 - Western media versus the Sandinistas
Goette-Luciak
vaulted suddenly into the world of journalism after student-led
protests erupted last April 18 in Nicaragua. President Daniel Ortega
had announced a set of tax increases to keep the public pension
system solvent, triggering mass protests that quickly transformed
into a full-scale attempt at regime change.
Within
days, violent elements had taken over university campuses and were
setting up roadblocks around the country to paralyze its economy.
While
American officials condemned killings and abuses by the Nicaraguan
government, scores of Sandinista members and national police officers
were murdered by opposition gunmen; hundreds more were kidnapped,
tortured and abused; and institutions affiliated with the government
were destroyed.
Almost
as soon as the Sandinista-led government defeated the coup attempt in
July, it became the target of a sustained campaign of attacks in
Western media. A raft of articles portrayed Ortega, the former
guerrilla leader, as a reincarnation of the bloodthirsty, U.S.-backed
dictator he had deposed, Anastasio Somoza. The opposition, meanwhile,
was painted as a collection of peaceful protesters gunned down for
supposedly demanding democracy.
The
death and suffering experienced by average Sandinista members was
whitewashed across the board, and the role the U.S. played in laying
the groundwork for the coup was dismissed as “fake news.” In
Washington, the media campaign propelled a push in Congress for
crushing sanctions targeting Nicaragua’s previously productive
economy.
Many
Western reporters have embarked on short regime-change fishing
expeditions guided by opposition activists from one anti-Sandinista
source to the next.
But
Goette-Luciak had been in the country all along, and he stayed after
the violence subsided. This provided him with special value to
publications like the Guardian, which were apparently hungry for more
on-the-ground reporting painting the Sandinistas as uniquely evil and
unqualified to govern.
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