Meet Nelson Bocaranda, the Venezuelan journalist who, depending on who you ask, is either a "lying, cocaine-addicted, homosexual son of a bitch" or is the only guy outside of Chavez's circle of his cronies who knows just how bad the socialist leader's cancer really is. Reuters has a great profile on the journalist, which could conceivably double as a how-to for young journalists interested in covering one of the most difficult beats in the world. As Reuters' Andrew Cawthorne reports, he's pretty much the scum of the earth to Chavez loyalists which, judging by their very vocal dislike of the fellow, is its own badge of honor. Cawthorne delves into Bocaranda's success (over 670,000 people follow his two accounts on Twitter), how he has to use covert cell-phone cards, and a network of sources in the Western hemisphere. And for good reason, as Cawthorne reports:

A jovial, fast-talking man who loves a joke, Bocaranda does, however, have serious concerns for his safety. He warned in a column this week that the state would be responsible for anything that happens to him or his family.

"I wanted to announce it because I'd been hearing this from three different sources," he told Reuters.

For Bocaranda's full profile head on over to Reuters. 

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Alexander Abad-Santos