fbpx
Wikipedia

Mass media in Venezuela

January 07, 2023

Mass media in Venezuela comprise the mass and niche news and information communications infrastructure of Venezuela. Thus, the media of Venezuela consist of several different types of communications media: television, radio, newspapers, magazines, cinema, and Internet-based news outlets and websites. Venezuela also has a strong music industry and arts scene.

Since 2003, Freedom House has ranked Venezuela as "not free" when it comes to press freedom.[1] Freedom House explained that Venezuela's freedom of the press had declined during Hugo Chávez's 15 years in power, stating that the Venezuelan government's relation to the media caused a sharp decline in press freedom and expanded government information apparatus.[2]

Due to censorship in Venezuela, social networking and other methods are important ways of communication for the Venezuelan people,[3][4] with social media being established as an alternative means of information to mainstream media. Venezuela now has the 4th highest percentage of Twitter users.[5]

Overview

The main four private television networks are RCTV (1951-2007), Televen, Venevisión, and 24-hour news channel Globovisión. State television includes Venezolana de Televisión, TVes, ViVe, and teleSUR. There are also local community-run television stations such as Televisora Comunitaria del Oeste de Caracas (CatiaTVe). The Venezuelan government also runs Avila TV, Buena TV, Asamblea Nacional TV (ANTV), Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias and funds the majority of Latin American network TeleSUR.

The major Venezuelan newspapers are El Nacional, Últimas Noticias, and El Universal; all of which are private companies and based in Caracas. There are also many regional newspapers.

History

Democratic period

Venezuela was the ninth country in the world to have television, introduced in 1952 by Marcos Pérez Jiménez. By 1963 a quarter of Venezuelan households had television; a figure rising to 45% by 1969 and 85% by 1982.[6]

By 1970s, Venezuela surpassed Argentina as the most urbanized of South America nations. The benefits that urbanization has brought in terms of ease of communication were offset by social problems.[7]

Bolivarian Revolution

The Venezuelan media initially supported Hugo Chávez after his election in 1998, supporting the changes he proposed for Venezuela.[8][9] However, when the media began to report "negative realities" occurring in Venezuela, the Chávez government began to view the independent media as an enemy.[9] After Chávez established his position of power in Venezuela by removing political barriers, the independent media began to criticize Chávez in a similar manner to the way other Latin American countries would have their media criticize their own governments.[10] The independent Venezuelan press then became opposed to Chávez, fearing that he would ruin the economy and Venezuela's democracy.[11]

The Chávez government responded by making laws that would threaten the revocation or fining of media organizations,[12][13] while Chávez and his officials would also combat the media by calling out reporters by name, which angered members of the media, sparking dubious reports and articles.[11] Fears arose among the media when Chávez would call out journalists by name,[13] with such polarization becoming so intense that eventually journalists "were regularly attacked in the street by Chavez supporters".[11] In June 2001, the Chávez-filled Supreme Court ruled that the media could face consequences for "half-truths" and shortly after in January 2002, the headquarters of El Universal was assaulted by hundreds of Chavistas, Globovision reporters were attacked while attempting to record Aló Presidente and there was a bomb attack on newspaper Así Es la Noticia.[13] Months later following the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt in April 2002, Chávez used a "two-pronged strategy" in which his government strengthened its own media and "closed, browbeaten or infiltrated almost every independent outlet."[14] In 2004, the Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television was passed, and in 2010 it was extended to the Internet and social media in 2010, requires media companies to "establish mechanisms to restrict, without delay, the dissemination of messages."[15][16]

By the time of Chávez's death in 2013, he left a transformed media atmosphere in Venezuela with the media organizations that opposed him being silenced and an expanding state media as a result.[16] Media workers face legal barriers, defamation lawsuits from Venezuelan officials or are targets of violence.[16] Both Chávez and his successor, Nicolás Maduro, would pressure media organizations until they failed by preventing them from acquiring necessary resources.[17] The Venezuelan government would manipulate foreign exchange rates for media organizations so that they could no longer import their resources or fine them heavily.[17] The government would then use a front company to give the troubled organization a "generous" offer to purchase the company.[17] Following the buyout, the front company would promise that the staff would not change but would slowly release them and change their coverage to be in favor of the Venezuelan government.[17]

Television

Main article: Television in Venezuela

Television in Venezuela began in 1952 when the dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez launched the state channel Televisora Nacional, making Venezuela the ninth country in the world to have television. By 1963 a quarter of Venezuelan households had television; a figure rising to 45% by 1969 and 85% by 1982.[6] Even though the best known television show internationally is President Hugo Chávez' weekly talkshow Aló Presidente, there are plenty of well known telenovelas.

The main private television networks are RCTV (launched 1953, losing its terrestrial broadcast license 2007); Venevisión (1961); Televen (1988); Globovisión (1994). State television includes Venezolana de Televisión (1964 as a private channel, nationalized in 1974), TVes (2007), ViVe (cultural network, 2003) and teleSUR (Caracas-based pan-Latin American channel sponsored by seven Latin American states, 2005). There are also local community-run television stations such as Televisora Comunitaria del Oeste de Caracas (CatiaTVe, 2001) and a range of regional networks such as Zuliana de Televisión. The Venezuelan government also provides funding to Avila TV (2006), Buena TV and Asamblea Nacional TV (ANTV, network of the National Assembly of Venezuela, 2005).

In 1998, independent television represented 88% of the 24 national television channels while the other 12% of channels were controlled by the Venezuelan government. By 2014, there were 105 national television channels with only 48 channels, or 46%, representing independent media while the Venezuelan government and the "communitarian channels" it funded accounted for 54% of channels, or the 57 remaining channels.[18]

Internet

Journalism

In an article by El Tiempo (Anzoátegui), journalists explain reasons of why they have moved from traditional media outlets such as newspapers and organizations to websites. Journalists explained how after allegations of censorship after the sale of Cadena Capriles organization and El Universal, journalists have found refuge on the Internet. Some journalists have even created their own websites, though with some difficulties.[19] This includes a Venezuelan imitation of Naked News called Desnudando La Noticia (Stripping The News).[20]

Social media

The use of social media has grown to be important in Venezuela because of government censorship preventing press freedom in other forms of media.[3][4] Some Venezuelans rely on social networking to purchase goods, such as medications that are vital for survival.[4] Social media has also allowed Venezuelans to protest, though the Bolivarian government has targeted critics.[4] A September 2018 poll by Meganalisis found that 57.7% of respondents relied on social media as their news source.[21]

Newspapers

Main article: List of newspapers in Venezuela

Large newspaper organizations include El Universal (Caracas) and El Nacional (Caracas). In 2014, newspapers throughout the country have reported shortages of paper and have depleted their reserves; resulting in cuts of services for customers. Despite this, the Venezuelan government has announced the creation of two new state newspapers in September 2014.[22] In October 2014, the Vice President of The Commission of Propaganda, Agitation and Communication of the PSUV, Ernesto Villegas also announced the Venezuelan government's acquisition of Diario Vea.

In 2013, 90 newspapers were in circulation in Venezuela.[23] Following the election of President Nicolás Maduro, 55 newspapers in Venezuela stopped circulation due to difficulties and government censorship between 2013 and 2018.[24] By 2019, the number of newspapers circulating in Venezuela dropped to 28.[23]

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of Venezuela

Media freedom

According to Freedom House in their Freedom of the Press 2014 report, the media in Venezuela is classified as "not free".[2] Venezuela's press freedom was also ranked low, with a ranking of 171 out of 197 countries.[25] Freedom House explained that Venezuela's freedom of press had declined during Hugo Chávez's "15 years in power", stating that the Venezuelan government's relation to the media "led to sharp declines in press freedom and a vastly expanded government information apparatus". After the Venezuelan National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) implemented the Resorte Law claiming that "democratic security" was in danger and imposed heavy fines on private media, the media responded by "softening their coverage of national and international news". This law also requires all media outlets to air live government broadcasts (cadenas) "which the government issues frequently, at random, and without regard for regular programming."[2]

Hugo Chávez presidency resulted being a continuous war against news outlets. He blamed many of them for supporting an attempted coup against him in 2002. He made changes in the broadcast side through regulations and new ownership. Maduro continued his predecessor steps by making drastic changes in the print outlets. Journalists complain and express their frustration, as they are no longer able to report freely to the news outlet. In addition, many have turned and are making use of new platforms such as internet websites and applications.[26][non-primary source needed]

In the Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 2013, the Organization of American States' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights stated that "the Penal Code of Venezuela, the Organic Code of Military Justice, and the Law on Social Responsibility in Radio, Television and Electronic Media (Resorte Law) all have sections that are not compatible with Inter-American standards on freedom of expression". They also reported that the media had been attacked by government authorities. There are reports of authorities destroying work and equipment belonging to the media, arrests and interrogations of media correspondents, reporters being held in prison being "civil rebellion" after expressing an opinion, journalists being accused of being spies and multiple reports of arrests of journalists after reporting on alleged election irregularities. Media workers have also been physically and verbally assaulted by government authorities, had received death threats against them and their families and had been intimidated by both government supporters and authorities following the death of Hugo Chávez. Cartoonists, journalists, writers and artists were sent death threats through "phone calls, text messages to their mobile telephones, and through social network Twitter". During a radio interview, Nicolás Maduro blamed Televen for violence occurring in the country after the election and accused Globovision of being "fascist". The Venezuelan government has also been accused of not allowing public media outlets to attend official events and places such as the National Assembly, where only government-run media outlets are allowed to participate.[27]

In the World Report 2014 by Human Rights Watch, the Venezuelan government "has expanded and abused its powers to regulate media". The report says that "sharp criticism of the government is still common in several newspapers and some radio stations, fear of government reprisals has made self-censorship a serious problem". The report also criticized the amended telecommunications law where the government could take away concessions to private media outlets if it is "convenient for the interests of the nation".[28]

In a 2015 report by the Institute for Press and Society (IPYS), over 25 media organizations had changed in ownership between 2010 and 2015 with the new owners having "a direct relationship" to local governments and the national government that was linked to Chavismo.[29]

Attacks on media

In the Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 2013, the Organization of American States' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said that it had received information about "persistent use of stigmatizing declarations by public officials to discredit journalists, communicators, and members of the opposition who express ideas, opinions or disseminate information contrary to the interests of the Venezuelan Government". President Maduro has frequently accused the media of "psychological war", "media terrorism", being "ultra-rightwing" and "ignorant, perverse and manipulators". President Maduro had also called the newspaper El Nacional, "El Nazi–onal" and said that "[b]uying El Nacional is like buying muriatic acid and breakfasting on muriatic acid every day. That’s right, it’s poison! I don’t buy it, I don’t recommend that anyone buy it either, really; not even the people of the opposition because if they do they will make a bad impression." The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights stressed how important it was for "creating a climate of respect and tolerance for all ideas and opinions" in Venezuela.[27]

During treatment of Hugo Chávez's cancer

Employees of Globovision filed complaints to the Public Prosecutor about "supposed threats by representatives of the Executive Branch against the media" and that "[s]tatements by senior officials constitute an official discourse that incites physical and verbal attacks on the employees of Globovisión, and guarantees impunity for the aggressors". Nicolas Maduro used harsh accusations on media organizations who were reporting on the health of Hugo Chávez calling them "ultra-rightwing", saying that they "have an absolutely wretched soul, absolutely wretched, and answer to anti-patriotic plans" and that they are "a very venomous minority of that ultra-right that never stops in its attack against President Chávez". President Maduro also accused the newspapers El Universal and El Nacional of "media terrorism" and a "psychological war". Diosdado Cabello, The President of the National Assembly, said that the private media are "the enemies of the homeland, of the people, of the Revolution, of the Constitution" and that "encouraging activities of this type because it might backfire […] and in the face of these media who are going with the ruin of the peace in this country, with the destruction of the peace of this country, I’m going to tell them: the day that something happens here, the people know what they are going to grab on to – and I’m almost certain that the rightwing media are not going to go without visits from the people. And this is not threats, I am just trying to interpret the reality of a people that is tired, that is sick and tired of being subjected and harassed, every day, to a thousand pressures by the rightwing media with their lies".[27]

After the 2013 presidential elections

President Maduro said that the time had come for media organizations to show "who they are with […] with the homeland, with peace, with the people, or are they going to be on the side of fascism once again". President Maduro also made several verbal attacks at the time against the media saying they "are sadists of journalism and communication" and that "they celebrate [with] the feast of death".[27]

2013 Uribana jail riot

After the government had already announced the plans of searching a jail in Uribana, Minister of Popular Power for Penitentiary Services, Iris Varela, blamed Globovisión and El Impulso for attacks on authorities. She said, "[W]e were surprised at the announcement of the search by the privately held Globovisión network, the social networks and the webpage of newspaper El Impulso, which undoubtedly constituted a detonator for the violence, as shown by the beginning of a mutiny within the Penitentiary Center hours later, during which the gang leaders attacked members of the National Guard, resulting in an unfortunate number of casualties".[27]

Releasing private information

In 2014, Diario Las Americas reported that the Venezuelan news website had sent messages to current and formal members of the Venezuelan intelligence agency SEBIN, releasing "personal records of citizens who frequent the forums portal journalistic institution with critical views about government performance Nicolas Maduro". The director of Noticias24, Frank Prada, sent screenshots of the critical comments to SEBIN and to former director and now Minister of Interior and Justice, Miguel Rodríguez Torres. It was alleged by Diario Las Americas that since the Venezuelan government knew the users IP address, they would be able to block future critical comments in the future with the "state-owned CANTV" and know the location of the user.[30]

Censorship

The Venezuelan internet freedom declined in 2017.[31] The country is moving towards the increase of internet censorship and the increase of online surveillance. Social media is the route protesters are taking in order to raise their concerns. This has led to the implementation of content filtering and online surveillance by the government of the country. The government justifies that the internet is used to promote hate speech.[32]

Alternate media

According to media protection organizations, Venezuelans "have been forced to find alternatives as newspapers and broadcasters struggle with state efforts to control coverage", with a growing trend of Venezuelans using online news media to bypass government censors.[3][33] websites such as Informe21,[34] El Diario de Caracas, La Patilla Agencia Carabobeña de Noticias and Efecto Cocuyo have emerged to counter the censorship.[3][33]

Journalists and press-freedom advocates state that news websites like La Patilla "have helped fill a gap" since individuals linked to the Venezuelan government had purchased media organizations in Venezuela, such as El Universal, Globovisión and Ultimas Noticias.[3] In an article by The Wall Street Journal discussing the rising popularity of news websites in Venezuela, La Patilla CEO Alberto Federico Ravell stated that "The editorial line of La Patilla is to call it like it is ... We don't need paper. We don't need a broadcasting license. There's little they can do to squeeze us."[3]

The search for an alternate way of expressing their views is not lost on the new generation. According to an article published by Reuters, a group of young Venezuelan activists took it upon themselves to ride bus lines that pass through the poorest neighborhoods of Caracas and do their own kind of "news broadcasting". Claudia Lizardo, a 29-year-old creative director, formed a small team composed by four friends and began broadcasting under the name of "Bus TV" with nothing more than a cardboard frame and their voices. The group claims that the goal to be producing fact-based news media rather to seek confrontation with anybody. Laura Castillo, one member of the team, stated that "We want this to survive, that’s why we have a respectful approach that doesn’t look for confrontation with anybody."[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ "FREEDOM OF THE PRESS 2003" (PDF). Freedom House. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Venezuela" (PDF). Report. Freedom House. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Minaya, Ezequiel (7 September 2014). "Venezuela's Press Crackdown Stokes Growth of Online Media". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d "For Many in Venezuela, Social Media Is A Matter of Life And Death". NPR. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Twitter Usage Statistics: Which Country Has The Most Active Twitter Population?". International Business Times. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b Swanson, David and Mancini, Paolo (1996), Politics, media, and modern democracy: an international study of innovations in electoral campaigning and their consequences, Greenwood Publishing, p240
  7. ^ Kingsley Davis; Ana Casis. "URBANIZATION IN LATIN AMERICA" (PDF). Milbank.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  8. ^ Nelson, Brian A. (2009). The silence and the scorpion : the coup against Chávez and the making of modern Venezuela (online ed.). New York: Nation Books. pp. 1–8. ISBN 978-1568584188.
  9. ^ a b (PDF). United States Department of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  10. ^ Simon, Joel (2014). The New Censorship Inside the Global Battle for Media Freedom. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 9780231160643.
  11. ^ a b c Dinges, John. Columbia Journalism Review (July 2005). "Soul Search", Vol. 44 Issue 2, July–August 2005, pp52-8
  12. ^ David Adams and Phil Gunson, St. Petersburg Times, 18 April 2002, Media accused in failed coup 7 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ a b c Nelson, Brian A. (2009). The silence and the scorpion : the coup against Chávez and the making of modern Venezuela (online ed.). New York: Nation Books. pp. 73–78. ISBN 978-1568584188.
  14. ^ "News that's fit to print". The Economist. 19 October 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  15. ^ Fossett, Katelyn. "How the Venezuelan Government Made the Media into Its Most Powerful Ally". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  16. ^ a b c Simon, Joel (2014). The New Censorship Inside the Global Battle for Media Freedom. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 51. ISBN 9780231160643.
  17. ^ a b c d Pomerantsev, Peter (23 June 2015). "Beyond Propaganda". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  18. ^ Corrales, Javier (April 2015). "The Authoritarian Resurgence". Journal of Democracy. 26 (2): 37–51. doi:10.1353/jod.2015.0031. S2CID 153641967.
  19. ^ . El Tiempo. 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  20. ^ Tom Sheen (17 June 2015). . The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  21. ^ "Resultados Encuesta Meganalisis Septiembre 2018 (Publicación)". Scribd. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  22. ^ Morales, Maru (9 September 2014). . El Nacional. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Avanza el silencio... En Venezuela solo circulan 28 periódicos de 90 que habían en 2013". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 7 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  24. ^ "En cinco años, 55 medios impresos dejaron de circular en Venezuela - LaPatilla.com". LaPatilla.com (in European Spanish). 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  25. ^ . Freedom House. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  26. ^ "Venezuelas's Ongoing Media War". The Listening Post. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  27. ^ a b c d e "Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 2013" (PDF). Report. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  28. ^ (PDF). Report. Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  29. ^ "Ipys: En cinco años más de 25 medios cambiaron de dueño en Venezuela". La Patilla. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  30. ^ . Diaro Las Americas. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  31. ^ "Venezuela aumentó la censura y las restricciones a Internet, según el último informe de Freedom House". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  32. ^ "Venezuela increases internet censorship and surveillance in crisis". Theregister.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  33. ^ a b Pelayo, Francisco (27 February 2015). "A pesar de la censura, surge un nuevo medio informativo para 'crear luz' en Venezuela". Univision. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  34. ^ "Informe21". Informe21.com. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  35. ^ Oré, Diego. "Venezuelan journalists 'broadcast' live on buses to reach new viewers". U.S. Retrieved 4 April 2018.

Further reading

  • Dinges, John. Columbia Journalism Review (July 2005). "Soul Search", Vol. 44 Issue 2, July–August 2005, pp52–8
  • Duno Gottberg, Luis (2004). "Mob outrages: reflections on the media construction of the masses in Venezuela (April 2000–January 2003)". Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies. 13 (1): 115–135. doi:10.1080/1356932042000186523. ISSN 1356-9325.
  • Acosta-Alzuru, C. (2013). "Melodrama, reality and crisis: The government-media relationship in Hugo Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution". International Journal of Cultural Studies. 17 (3): 209–226. doi:10.1177/1367877913488462. ISSN 1367-8779. S2CID 130767478.

External links

  • , .
  • (2005 media law)
  • "Venezuela's Ongoing Media War". Venezuela | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 14 May 2017, www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2017/05/venezuela-ongoing-media-war-170513114624033.html.
  • Gonzales, Richard. "Venezuela Constituent Assembly Cracks Down on Media". NPR, NPR, 9 Nov. 2017, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/08/562954354/venezuela-constituent-assembly-cracks-down-on-media.
  • McCarthy, K. (n.d.). Venezuela increases internet censorship and surveillance in crisis. Retrieved 4 April 2018, from https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/25/venezuela_increases_censorship_surveillance/
  • Fossett, Katelyn. "How the Venezuelan Government Made the Media into Its Most Powerful Ally". Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy, 11 Mar. 2014, foreignpolicy.com/2014/03/11/how-the-venezuelan-government-made-the-media-into-its-most-powerful-ally/.

January 07, 2023
mass, media, venezuela, comprise, mass, niche, news, information, communications, infrastructure, venezuela, thus, media, venezuela, consist, several, different, types, communications, media, television, radio, newspapers, magazines, cinema, internet, based, n. Mass media in Venezuela comprise the mass and niche news and information communications infrastructure of Venezuela Thus the media of Venezuela consist of several different types of communications media television radio newspapers magazines cinema and Internet based news outlets and websites Venezuela also has a strong music industry and arts scene Since 2003 Freedom House has ranked Venezuela as not free when it comes to press freedom 1 Freedom House explained that Venezuela s freedom of the press had declined during Hugo Chavez s 15 years in power stating that the Venezuelan government s relation to the media caused a sharp decline in press freedom and expanded government information apparatus 2 Due to censorship in Venezuela social networking and other methods are important ways of communication for the Venezuelan people 3 4 with social media being established as an alternative means of information to mainstream media Venezuela now has the 4th highest percentage of Twitter users 5 Contents 1 Overview 2 History 2 1 Democratic period 2 2 Bolivarian Revolution 3 Television 4 Internet 4 1 Journalism 4 2 Social media 5 Newspapers 6 Cinema 7 Media freedom 7 1 Attacks on media 7 1 1 During treatment of Hugo Chavez s cancer 7 1 2 After the 2013 presidential elections 7 1 3 2013 Uribana jail riot 7 1 4 Releasing private information 7 2 Censorship 8 Alternate media 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External linksOverview EditThe main four private television networks are RCTV 1951 2007 Televen Venevision and 24 hour news channel Globovision State television includes Venezolana de Television TVes ViVe and teleSUR There are also local community run television stations such as Televisora Comunitaria del Oeste de Caracas CatiaTVe The Venezuelan government also runs Avila TV Buena TV Asamblea Nacional TV ANTV Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias and funds the majority of Latin American network TeleSUR The major Venezuelan newspapers are El Nacional Ultimas Noticias and El Universal all of which are private companies and based in Caracas There are also many regional newspapers History EditDemocratic period Edit Venezuela was the ninth country in the world to have television introduced in 1952 by Marcos Perez Jimenez By 1963 a quarter of Venezuelan households had television a figure rising to 45 by 1969 and 85 by 1982 6 By 1970s Venezuela surpassed Argentina as the most urbanized of South America nations The benefits that urbanization has brought in terms of ease of communication were offset by social problems 7 Bolivarian Revolution Edit The Venezuelan media initially supported Hugo Chavez after his election in 1998 supporting the changes he proposed for Venezuela 8 9 However when the media began to report negative realities occurring in Venezuela the Chavez government began to view the independent media as an enemy 9 After Chavez established his position of power in Venezuela by removing political barriers the independent media began to criticize Chavez in a similar manner to the way other Latin American countries would have their media criticize their own governments 10 The independent Venezuelan press then became opposed to Chavez fearing that he would ruin the economy and Venezuela s democracy 11 The Chavez government responded by making laws that would threaten the revocation or fining of media organizations 12 13 while Chavez and his officials would also combat the media by calling out reporters by name which angered members of the media sparking dubious reports and articles 11 Fears arose among the media when Chavez would call out journalists by name 13 with such polarization becoming so intense that eventually journalists were regularly attacked in the street by Chavez supporters 11 In June 2001 the Chavez filled Supreme Court ruled that the media could face consequences for half truths and shortly after in January 2002 the headquarters of El Universal was assaulted by hundreds of Chavistas Globovision reporters were attacked while attempting to record Alo Presidente and there was a bomb attack on newspaper Asi Es la Noticia 13 Months later following the 2002 Venezuelan coup d etat attempt in April 2002 Chavez used a two pronged strategy in which his government strengthened its own media and closed browbeaten or infiltrated almost every independent outlet 14 In 2004 the Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television was passed and in 2010 it was extended to the Internet and social media in 2010 requires media companies to establish mechanisms to restrict without delay the dissemination of messages 15 16 By the time of Chavez s death in 2013 he left a transformed media atmosphere in Venezuela with the media organizations that opposed him being silenced and an expanding state media as a result 16 Media workers face legal barriers defamation lawsuits from Venezuelan officials or are targets of violence 16 Both Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro would pressure media organizations until they failed by preventing them from acquiring necessary resources 17 The Venezuelan government would manipulate foreign exchange rates for media organizations so that they could no longer import their resources or fine them heavily 17 The government would then use a front company to give the troubled organization a generous offer to purchase the company 17 Following the buyout the front company would promise that the staff would not change but would slowly release them and change their coverage to be in favor of the Venezuelan government 17 Television EditMain article Television in Venezuela Television in Venezuela began in 1952 when the dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez launched the state channel Televisora Nacional making Venezuela the ninth country in the world to have television By 1963 a quarter of Venezuelan households had television a figure rising to 45 by 1969 and 85 by 1982 6 Even though the best known television show internationally is President Hugo Chavez weekly talkshow Alo Presidente there are plenty of well known telenovelas The main private television networks are RCTV launched 1953 losing its terrestrial broadcast license 2007 Venevision 1961 Televen 1988 Globovision 1994 State television includes Venezolana de Television 1964 as a private channel nationalized in 1974 TVes 2007 ViVe cultural network 2003 and teleSUR Caracas based pan Latin American channel sponsored by seven Latin American states 2005 There are also local community run television stations such as Televisora Comunitaria del Oeste de Caracas CatiaTVe 2001 and a range of regional networks such as Zuliana de Television The Venezuelan government also provides funding to Avila TV 2006 Buena TV and Asamblea Nacional TV ANTV network of the National Assembly of Venezuela 2005 In 1998 independent television represented 88 of the 24 national television channels while the other 12 of channels were controlled by the Venezuelan government By 2014 there were 105 national television channels with only 48 channels or 46 representing independent media while the Venezuelan government and the communitarian channels it funded accounted for 54 of channels or the 57 remaining channels 18 Internet EditJournalism Edit In an article by El Tiempo Anzoategui journalists explain reasons of why they have moved from traditional media outlets such as newspapers and organizations to websites Journalists explained how after allegations of censorship after the sale of Cadena Capriles organization and El Universal journalists have found refuge on the Internet Some journalists have even created their own websites though with some difficulties 19 This includes a Venezuelan imitation of Naked News called Desnudando La Noticia Stripping The News 20 Social media Edit The use of social media has grown to be important in Venezuela because of government censorship preventing press freedom in other forms of media 3 4 Some Venezuelans rely on social networking to purchase goods such as medications that are vital for survival 4 Social media has also allowed Venezuelans to protest though the Bolivarian government has targeted critics 4 A September 2018 poll by Meganalisis found that 57 7 of respondents relied on social media as their news source 21 Newspapers EditMain article List of newspapers in Venezuela Large newspaper organizations include El Universal Caracas and El Nacional Caracas In 2014 newspapers throughout the country have reported shortages of paper and have depleted their reserves resulting in cuts of services for customers Despite this the Venezuelan government has announced the creation of two new state newspapers in September 2014 22 In October 2014 the Vice President of The Commission of Propaganda Agitation and Communication of the PSUV Ernesto Villegas also announced the Venezuelan government s acquisition of Diario Vea In 2013 90 newspapers were in circulation in Venezuela 23 Following the election of President Nicolas Maduro 55 newspapers in Venezuela stopped circulation due to difficulties and government censorship between 2013 and 2018 24 By 2019 the number of newspapers circulating in Venezuela dropped to 28 23 Cinema EditMain article Cinema of VenezuelaMedia freedom EditAccording to Freedom House in their Freedom of the Press 2014 report the media in Venezuela is classified as not free 2 Venezuela s press freedom was also ranked low with a ranking of 171 out of 197 countries 25 Freedom House explained that Venezuela s freedom of press had declined during Hugo Chavez s 15 years in power stating that the Venezuelan government s relation to the media led to sharp declines in press freedom and a vastly expanded government information apparatus After the Venezuelan National Telecommunications Commission CONATEL implemented the Resorte Law claiming that democratic security was in danger and imposed heavy fines on private media the media responded by softening their coverage of national and international news This law also requires all media outlets to air live government broadcasts cadenas which the government issues frequently at random and without regard for regular programming 2 Hugo Chavez presidency resulted being a continuous war against news outlets He blamed many of them for supporting an attempted coup against him in 2002 He made changes in the broadcast side through regulations and new ownership Maduro continued his predecessor steps by making drastic changes in the print outlets Journalists complain and express their frustration as they are no longer able to report freely to the news outlet In addition many have turned and are making use of new platforms such as internet websites and applications 26 non primary source needed In the Annual Report of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights 2013 the Organization of American States Inter American Commission on Human Rights stated that the Penal Code of Venezuela the Organic Code of Military Justice and the Law on Social Responsibility in Radio Television and Electronic Media Resorte Law all have sections that are not compatible with Inter American standards on freedom of expression They also reported that the media had been attacked by government authorities There are reports of authorities destroying work and equipment belonging to the media arrests and interrogations of media correspondents reporters being held in prison being civil rebellion after expressing an opinion journalists being accused of being spies and multiple reports of arrests of journalists after reporting on alleged election irregularities Media workers have also been physically and verbally assaulted by government authorities had received death threats against them and their families and had been intimidated by both government supporters and authorities following the death of Hugo Chavez Cartoonists journalists writers and artists were sent death threats through phone calls text messages to their mobile telephones and through social network Twitter During a radio interview Nicolas Maduro blamed Televen for violence occurring in the country after the election and accused Globovision of being fascist The Venezuelan government has also been accused of not allowing public media outlets to attend official events and places such as the National Assembly where only government run media outlets are allowed to participate 27 In the World Report 2014 by Human Rights Watch the Venezuelan government has expanded and abused its powers to regulate media The report says that sharp criticism of the government is still common in several newspapers and some radio stations fear of government reprisals has made self censorship a serious problem The report also criticized the amended telecommunications law where the government could take away concessions to private media outlets if it is convenient for the interests of the nation 28 In a 2015 report by the Institute for Press and Society IPYS over 25 media organizations had changed in ownership between 2010 and 2015 with the new owners having a direct relationship to local governments and the national government that was linked to Chavismo 29 Attacks on media Edit In the Annual Report of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights 2013 the Organization of American States Inter American Commission on Human Rights said that it had received information about persistent use of stigmatizing declarations by public officials to discredit journalists communicators and members of the opposition who express ideas opinions or disseminate information contrary to the interests of the Venezuelan Government President Maduro has frequently accused the media of psychological war media terrorism being ultra rightwing and ignorant perverse and manipulators President Maduro had also called the newspaper El Nacional El Nazi onal and said that b uying El Nacional is like buying muriatic acid and breakfasting on muriatic acid every day That s right it s poison I don t buy it I don t recommend that anyone buy it either really not even the people of the opposition because if they do they will make a bad impression The Inter American Commission on Human Rights stressed how important it was for creating a climate of respect and tolerance for all ideas and opinions in Venezuela 27 During treatment of Hugo Chavez s cancer Edit Employees of Globovision filed complaints to the Public Prosecutor about supposed threats by representatives of the Executive Branch against the media and that s tatements by senior officials constitute an official discourse that incites physical and verbal attacks on the employees of Globovision and guarantees impunity for the aggressors Nicolas Maduro used harsh accusations on media organizations who were reporting on the health of Hugo Chavez calling them ultra rightwing saying that they have an absolutely wretched soul absolutely wretched and answer to anti patriotic plans and that they are a very venomous minority of that ultra right that never stops in its attack against President Chavez President Maduro also accused the newspapers El Universal and El Nacional of media terrorism and a psychological war Diosdado Cabello The President of the National Assembly said that the private media are the enemies of the homeland of the people of the Revolution of the Constitution and that encouraging activities of this type because it might backfire and in the face of these media who are going with the ruin of the peace in this country with the destruction of the peace of this country I m going to tell them the day that something happens here the people know what they are going to grab on to and I m almost certain that the rightwing media are not going to go without visits from the people And this is not threats I am just trying to interpret the reality of a people that is tired that is sick and tired of being subjected and harassed every day to a thousand pressures by the rightwing media with their lies 27 After the 2013 presidential elections Edit President Maduro said that the time had come for media organizations to show who they are with with the homeland with peace with the people or are they going to be on the side of fascism once again President Maduro also made several verbal attacks at the time against the media saying they are sadists of journalism and communication and that they celebrate with the feast of death 27 2013 Uribana jail riot Edit After the government had already announced the plans of searching a jail in Uribana Minister of Popular Power for Penitentiary Services Iris Varela blamed Globovision and El Impulso for attacks on authorities She said W e were surprised at the announcement of the search by the privately held Globovision network the social networks and the webpage of newspaper El Impulso which undoubtedly constituted a detonator for the violence as shown by the beginning of a mutiny within the Penitentiary Center hours later during which the gang leaders attacked members of the National Guard resulting in an unfortunate number of casualties 27 Releasing private information Edit In 2014 Diario Las Americas reported that the Venezuelan news website Noticias24 had sent messages to current and formal members of the Venezuelan intelligence agency SEBIN releasing personal records of citizens who frequent the forums portal journalistic institution with critical views about government performance Nicolas Maduro The director of Noticias24 Frank Prada sent screenshots of the critical comments to SEBIN and to former director and now Minister of Interior and Justice Miguel Rodriguez Torres It was alleged by Diario Las Americas that since the Venezuelan government knew the users IP address they would be able to block future critical comments in the future with the state owned CANTV and know the location of the user 30 Censorship Edit The Venezuelan internet freedom declined in 2017 31 The country is moving towards the increase of internet censorship and the increase of online surveillance Social media is the route protesters are taking in order to raise their concerns This has led to the implementation of content filtering and online surveillance by the government of the country The government justifies that the internet is used to promote hate speech 32 Alternate media EditAccording to media protection organizations Venezuelans have been forced to find alternatives as newspapers and broadcasters struggle with state efforts to control coverage with a growing trend of Venezuelans using online news media to bypass government censors 3 33 websites such as Informe21 34 El Diario de Caracas La Patilla Agencia Carabobena de Noticias and Efecto Cocuyo have emerged to counter the censorship 3 33 Journalists and press freedom advocates state that news websites like La Patilla have helped fill a gap since individuals linked to the Venezuelan government had purchased media organizations in Venezuela such as El Universal Globovision and Ultimas Noticias 3 In an article by The Wall Street Journal discussing the rising popularity of news websites in Venezuela La Patilla CEO Alberto Federico Ravell stated that The editorial line of La Patilla is to call it like it is We don t need paper We don t need a broadcasting license There s little they can do to squeeze us 3 The search for an alternate way of expressing their views is not lost on the new generation According to an article published by Reuters a group of young Venezuelan activists took it upon themselves to ride bus lines that pass through the poorest neighborhoods of Caracas and do their own kind of news broadcasting Claudia Lizardo a 29 year old creative director formed a small team composed by four friends and began broadcasting under the name of Bus TV with nothing more than a cardboard frame and their voices The group claims that the goal to be producing fact based news media rather to seek confrontation with anybody Laura Castillo one member of the team stated that We want this to survive that s why we have a respectful approach that doesn t look for confrontation with anybody 35 See also EditList of newspapers in Venezuela List of Venezuelan television channels List of radio stations in Venezuela List of journalists killed in Venezuela Censorship in Venezuela Bolivarian propaganda Media representation of Hugo Chavez Culture of Venezuela Music of Venezuela Cinema of VenezuelaReferences Edit FREEDOM OF THE PRESS 2003 PDF Freedom House Archived PDF from the original on 9 October 2022 Retrieved 16 December 2014 a b c Venezuela PDF Report Freedom House Archived PDF from the original on 9 October 2022 Retrieved 1 May 2014 a b c d e f Minaya Ezequiel 7 September 2014 Venezuela s Press Crackdown Stokes Growth of Online Media Wall Street Journal Retrieved 19 February 2015 a b c d For Many in Venezuela Social Media Is A Matter of Life And Death NPR Retrieved 14 September 2018 Twitter Usage Statistics Which Country Has The Most Active Twitter Population International Business Times 18 November 2013 Retrieved 4 February 2022 a b Swanson David and Mancini Paolo 1996 Politics media and modern democracy an international study of innovations in electoral campaigning and their consequences Greenwood Publishing p240 Kingsley Davis Ana Casis URBANIZATION IN LATIN AMERICA PDF Milbank org Archived PDF from the original on 9 October 2022 Retrieved 4 February 2022 Nelson Brian A 2009 The silence and the scorpion the coup against Chavez and the making of modern Venezuela online ed New York Nation Books pp 1 8 ISBN 978 1568584188 a b CODEL BALLENGER 4 27 DINNER WITH MEDIA OWNERS PDF United States Department of State Archived from the original PDF on 31 December 2016 Retrieved 16 February 2015 Simon Joel 2014 The New Censorship Inside the Global Battle for Media Freedom New York Columbia University Press pp 47 48 ISBN 9780231160643 a b c Dinges John Columbia Journalism Review July 2005 Soul Search Vol 44 Issue 2 July August 2005 pp52 8 David Adams and Phil Gunson St Petersburg Times 18 April 2002 Media accused in failed coup Archived 7 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine a b c Nelson Brian A 2009 The silence and the scorpion the coup against Chavez and the making of modern Venezuela online ed New York Nation Books pp 73 78 ISBN 978 1568584188 News that s fit to print The Economist 19 October 2013 Retrieved 30 June 2015 Fossett Katelyn How the Venezuelan Government Made the Media into Its Most Powerful Ally Foreign Policy Retrieved 8 February 2015 a b c Simon Joel 2014 The New Censorship Inside the Global Battle for Media Freedom New York Columbia University Press p 51 ISBN 9780231160643 a b c d Pomerantsev Peter 23 June 2015 Beyond Propaganda Foreign Policy Retrieved 27 January 2016 Corrales Javier April 2015 The Authoritarian Resurgence Journal of Democracy 26 2 37 51 doi 10 1353 jod 2015 0031 S2CID 153641967 El periodismo venezolano se atrinchera en la web El Tiempo 9 September 2014 Archived from the original on 10 September 2014 Retrieved 11 September 2014 Tom Sheen 17 June 2015 Venezuelan TV host gets completely naked while reporting on Copa America win over Colombia The Independent Archived from the original on 18 June 2015 Retrieved 18 June 2015 Resultados Encuesta Meganalisis Septiembre 2018 Publicacion Scribd Retrieved 5 October 2018 Morales Maru 9 September 2014 Presidente Maduro aprobo crear dos nuevos impresos pro gobierno El Nacional Archived from the original on 11 September 2014 Retrieved 11 September 2014 a b Avanza el silencio En Venezuela solo circulan 28 periodicos de 90 que habian en 2013 La Patilla in European Spanish 7 June 2019 Retrieved 14 June 2019 En cinco anos 55 medios impresos dejaron de circular en Venezuela LaPatilla com LaPatilla com in European Spanish 15 September 2018 Retrieved 15 September 2018 Press Freedom Rankings Freedom House Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 Retrieved 1 May 2014 Venezuelas s Ongoing Media War The Listening Post Retrieved 1 April 2018 a b c d e Annual Report of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights 2013 PDF Report Inter American Commission on Human Rights Archived PDF from the original on 9 October 2022 Retrieved 2 May 2014 WORLD REPORT 2014 PDF Report Human Rights Watch Archived from the original PDF on 25 August 2019 Retrieved 2 May 2014 Ipys En cinco anos mas de 25 medios cambiaron de dueno en Venezuela La Patilla 20 March 2015 Retrieved 20 March 2015 Portal chavista Noticias 24 delata a sus usuarios Diaro Las Americas Archived from the original on 3 May 2014 Retrieved 3 May 2014 Venezuela aumento la censura y las restricciones a Internet segun el ultimo informe de Freedom House Infobae in Spanish Retrieved 4 April 2018 Venezuela increases internet censorship and surveillance in crisis Theregister co uk Retrieved 4 April 2018 a b Pelayo Francisco 27 February 2015 A pesar de la censura surge un nuevo medio informativo para crear luz en Venezuela Univision Retrieved 20 March 2015 Informe21 Informe21 com Retrieved 4 February 2022 Ore Diego Venezuelan journalists broadcast live on buses to reach new viewers U S Retrieved 4 April 2018 Further reading EditDinges John Columbia Journalism Review July 2005 Soul Search Vol 44 Issue 2 July August 2005 pp52 8 Duno Gottberg Luis 2004 Mob outrages reflections on the media construction of the masses in Venezuela April 2000 January 2003 Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies 13 1 115 135 doi 10 1080 1356932042000186523 ISSN 1356 9325 Acosta Alzuru C 2013 Melodrama reality and crisis The government media relationship in Hugo Chavez s Bolivarian Revolution International Journal of Cultural Studies 17 3 209 226 doi 10 1177 1367877913488462 ISSN 1367 8779 S2CID 130767478 External links EditAndrew Kennis Media Accuracy on Latin America 15 July 2008 What is the Venezuelan news media actually like Ley Resorte 2005 media law Venezuela s Ongoing Media War Venezuela Al Jazeera Al Jazeera 14 May 2017 www aljazeera com programmes listeningpost 2017 05 venezuela ongoing media war 170513114624033 html Gonzales Richard Venezuela Constituent Assembly Cracks Down on Media NPR NPR 9 Nov 2017 www npr org sections thetwo way 2017 11 08 562954354 venezuela constituent assembly cracks down on media McCarthy K n d Venezuela increases internet censorship and surveillance in crisis Retrieved 4 April 2018 from https www theregister co uk 2017 05 25 venezuela increases censorship surveillance Fossett Katelyn How the Venezuelan Government Made the Media into Its Most Powerful Ally Foreign Policy Foreign Policy 11 Mar 2014 foreignpolicy com 2014 03 11 how the venezuelan government made the media into its most powerful ally Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mass media in Venezuela amp oldid 1115064690, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.