CNN en Espanol Reporter: Chavez 'Epitome of the Populist Leader'

Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez is "attractive to any journalist" because he's "the epitome of the populist leader" with "plain tastes" and "overwhelming charisma," CNN en español senior anchor Patricia Janiot told journalist Cristian Savio in a recent interview conducted in Spanish.

Blogger and friend of NewsBusters Fausta Wertz has an English translation up at her blog.

Below is an excerpt:

CS: What political leader impressed you the most?
PJ: Beyond his political position - I believe that a politician, the more he shows himself as a person and further away from the gods of Olympus, the better - there’s no doubt that Hugo Chávez os “the character.” He’s the epitome of the populist leader, with plain tastes, overwhelming charisma and the ability to involve himself in his sorroundings [sic] since he has a point of reference that also interests you. He’s a combination comedian, military, President and religious leader: a very appealing combination, even more so than his oratorial ability. He’s very attractive to any journalist.

[...]

CS: What are your thoughts on the turn to the left in Latin American politics?
PJ: It strikes me as a natural swing after the neoliberal decade that left so many of us in ruins. It’s a natural process in any country: when something doesn’t work, we look for the opposite. But nowadays the difference between the Left and the Right is how distanced they are from the United States. Even the governments on the Right are closer to fighting inequality and poverty, so the difference is the degree of alienation from the US.

Photo of Janiot via her profile page at CNN.com.