Dear Editors,

I am an avid reader of the Independent newspapers online and in print. I hold your paper in very high esteem and I don't hesitate to recommend it to others looking for a more realistic portrayal of world events than US corporate media provide.

I am also a journalist currently working out of Caracas, Venezuela, and as you can imagine I am following the referendum process here extremely carefully as it unfolds. It is in this context that I found the article you published by Hannah Baldock, entitled "Venezuela's Chavez on Brink of Referendum Defeat".  It was with great shock and dismay, then, that I read Ms. Baldock's falsification of election results and mistreatment of the political situation here in Venezuela.

This referendum is of extreme importance in Latin America and the United States and the outcome will have far reaching repercussions. I can't begin to fathom why, in such a situation, a reporter would completely fabricate news! I say fabricate and falsify because as of now, 9:30 Caracas time - that is to say, one hour AFTER Ms. Baldock's story was published online - there have been no official election results.

Ms. Baldock claims that the "opposition is boasting 1,758,000 votes to Chavez's 798,000", but offers no source for this figure! She refers to "mid-morning results" - no such results exist outside the minds of the malinformed media and the desperate opposition. Such results, were they actually released, would be illegal, as exit polling has been banned by the Venezuelan government. This ban has been enacted in order to avoid the effects of early poll reporting on late-in-the-day voting, and I worry about the possibility of legal problems for the Independent resulting from this violation of Venezuelan law. It is an abuse of our position to falsify information in order to affect the outcome of democratic processes.

Ms. Baldock continues her misrepresentation by characterizing Chavez as "the authoritarian, left-wing president." I can't fathom how this characterization lends any credence to the story, other than to expose her apparent extreme bias.

Evidently Ms. Baldock failed to do even the most cursory research into the referendum process, as the ban on exit polling is common knowledge, and stands in direct contradiction to her purported "facts." What lack of respect Ms. Baldock has for the democratic process! This referendum will determine the fate of Venezuela for years to come and I believe your readership deserves accurate information on this contentious issue.

The fact that Ms. Baldock saw the need to falsely report rumors as fact is telling of her ability as a reporter. How much worse will it be when tomorrow the real results are released and show no similarity to the invented figures of Ms. Baldock. Not only is she demonstrating a lack of integrity, she's smearing the good name of the Independent. Truly, I expect more from the Independent, and I hope you deal with this issue in an public, honest, and respectful way. I believe this merits more than your customary back page correction. I expect this issue will be dealt with in a satisfactory manner as I would like to continue to read and recommend your paper to others.

Sincerely,

Ron Smith
Independent Documentary Producer and Authentic Journalist
August 15th, 2004
Caracas, Venezuela