HBO's Oliver: 'Low Price of Oil' Caused Chaos in Venezuela; Omits Socialism

Matthew Balan | May 23, 2016
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[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]

On the 22 May 2016 edition of HBO's Last Week Tonight, John Oliver blamed oil prices for the current chaos in Venezuela: "What is wrong with Venezuela? Well, the short answer is everything. The low price of oil, which accounts for 96 percent of Venezuela's exports, has triggered an economic collapse — causing massive inflation and shortages of food and medicine." While Oliver rightly mocked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, he failed to point out the role of the authoritarian leader's socialist policies in crippling the economy there.

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