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	Chavez hits at Venezuelan media with new laws Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is taking steps to tighten restrictions on the media despite mounting opposition by private media to a series of proposed reforms that would expose them to criminal prosecution. Chavez supporters argue that the measures limiting broadcasting rights for radio and television will lead to a significant "democratization" of the media, which has been controlled by a handful of owners."We will launch a strong fight for the democratization of communication, to break the media oligarchy inVenezuela," Communication and Information MinisterBlanca Eekhout said recently. In a recent report, National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) chief Diosdado Cabello said 27 families have "privileged ownership" of 32 percent of the radio broadcast industry. But for Chavez's opposition, this "now or never" approach to the media is just the latest onslaught on press freedoms by the firebrand leftist leader, who has never forgiven the privately owned media for backing a failed coup against him in 2002. "The only player that exposes many of the things the government is doing is the media, and the government feels it has to regulate them," professorMarcelino Bisbal, editor of the book "Communication Hegemony and Control," told AFP. He said the government is developing eight new laws or reforms of existing laws that will have an impact on the media, including one that creates a new set of "media crimes" punishable with prison sentences. Until now media companies and executives have been subjected to administrative penalties, but if the proposed changes are adopted they could face criminal charges in the future. Authorities already are investigating an incident in which a guest on Globovision television said in a live broadcast in October that Chavez would end up like Benito Mussolini, "strung up with his head hanging low," a statement the government says may have been a crime. In May, Chavez's United Socialist Party accused Globovision of "media terrorism" for getting ahead of the government in reporting about an earthquake. Meanwhile, Conatel is mulling a review of radio licenses and is studying various types of penalties for 240 radio and 45 television stations that could lead to closure because their data has not been updated. "This is part of a strategy by a government with a military bent that sees communication as a strategic objective that needs to be neutralized," said the manager of a local media outlet who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Alonso Moleiro, vice president of the National College of Journalists, said the government is seeking to "dismantle" the influence of media critical of the government and to "stifle opinion makers." The reforms, he said, "will bear an enormous cost for the president, who will look like the great censor." Radio and television outlets have in recent weeks stepped up their defense of their rights to exist and planned to reject the sanctions. Chief among them was Globovision, which has been directly threatened with closure. The government refused to renew the license of RCTV (Radio Caracas Television), the country's oldest and most popular television network, in May 2007 because of its critical news coverage.Although off the air, RCTV continues to be seen in Venezuela from Miami via cable and satellite systems. "Globovision is a clear example of a media that has undermined its basic mission of serving the people," said journalist Maripili Hernandez, former director of the official television station and a member of the Socialist Communication Council. "The political cost of negligence of not enacting sanctions would be far greater than doing so." The reforms seek to ensure that the media better reflect public opinion, said Rosario Pacheco, head of a congressional committee on the media. "Over the past ten years, the media have gone against the majority and focused on the interests of economic groups, which is contradictory to the social process," she said. Opponents of Chavez, who appears almost daily on official television, point out, however, that the government has created a state media network of unprecedented size and scope. "Six television, two radio networks, over 150 websites, a news agency and a publisher to promote socialism in the 21st century," Bisbal said. In Venezuela, said El Mundo newspaper chief Omar Lugo, "one thing is missing: reliable and verifiable information." This handout picture from the Venezuelan Presidencia Press office shows Ven... Hundreds of supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez demonstrate agai... A supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez takes part in a demonstrati...