Two independent film makers were inside the presidential palace on 11 April 2002, when Venezuelan president Chavez was forcibly removed from office. They were also present 48 hours later when, remarkably, Chavez returned to power amid cheering aides. The state channel, Channel 8, gave Chavez a weekly phone-in show in which he would answer questions from the public. The private channels, meanwhile, allowed oil-company chairmen to beseech the military to rise up against the President. When the coup was reported in the Western media, it was done using footage broadcast by these private channels.
