Media ignoring uprising in Belize?

[KellyM]

Is the media ignoring this? Do they just not care, or is there more to it than that?

Unrest broke out in the capital city of Belmopan in Belize during mid-January 2005, provoked by the release of a new national budget with significant tax increases and by anger at the ruling People’s United Party for the worsening fiscal condition of the Belizian government.

2005 Belize unrest

I can’t find anything on Google News about Belize. While I can find stuff about a planned general strike for the 19th and 20th, nobody seems to be covering what is at least a major riot in the national capital of a country of at least some marginal significance. And yet not a single media outlet is picking up on this; the only thing I can find on the web about is the abovelinked Wikipedia article, which is being updated frequently by someone in Belize.

So, what’s the story?

[World_Eater]

Interesting, I’m a news nut and I haven’t heard a thing about that.

[paperbackwriter]

I haven’t seen anything either, and even BBC’s world news doesn’t have anything. I did find the web site of the newspaper associated with the opposition party. There are stories of opposition-party protests against the proposed budget. The worst violence reported seems to be a minor scuffle between one or two police officers and one opposition party Representative. I’d hardly call it an “uprising” at this point.

[Captain_Amazing]

Well, I found this in the Belize Times:

http://www.belizetimes.bz/news/story/3933.shtml

…the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance today ,in a radio address to the nation, called for calm and for the preservation of democracy.

The Prime Minister was speaking in response to the Leader of the Opposition’s veiled call for civil disobedience in protest of his government’s proposed budget which provides for modest increase in taxes, more pay for public officers, including teachers, and a package of tax exemptions for small business with no increases in income tax.

And also this, which criticizes the actions of the minority leadership in a budget protest in Belompan

http://www.belizetimes.bz/news/story/3937.shtml

[Captain_Amazing]

Just BTW, the Belize Times seems to be a pro-Government paper.

[Tapioca_Dextrin]

@KellyM

So, what’s the story?

The story is that Wikipedia isn’t necessarily a reliable news source.

[Mojo]

If you checked the wikipedia entry it has external links at the bottom. Including one to the British Government’s Foreign & Commnonwealth Office travel advisory for Belize. Looks like Google News just doesn’t have info from Belize(an?) news sources.
[sub]Can’t figure out why…[/sub]

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

GoogleNews isn’t necessarily a “breaking news” outlet–sometimes it takes a while for stories to show up there, because sometimes it takes a while for stories to show up at their sources.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Belize%20Strike

Friday, January 21, 2005 · Last updated 9:42 p.m. PT

Protesters clash with police in Belize

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BELIZE CITY – Some 500 protesters clashed with police Friday in front of Belize’s House of Representatives, as lawmakers voted to approve tax hikes opposed by a majority of the country’s 250,000 people.

Two people were slightly injured when police fired rubber bullets and pepper spray at some demonstrators who had hurled rocks at police lines…

Evidently the AP stringer finally got around to filing his story late this evening.

[KellyM]

@Tapioca Dextrin

The story is that Wikipedia isn’t necessarily a reliable news source.

I don’t think that’s a valid explanation in this case.

[Kythereia]

Weird. Nothing on the major news outlets here. :dubious: