By Lucas Koerner & Rachael Boothroyd Rojas, Venezuelanalysis
Dozens of representatives of social movements and grassroots media from 24 Latin American and Caribbean nations gathered in Caracas last week to devise a continental communicational strategy to counter the resurgent power of the right-wing in the region.
By Tamara Pearson – TeleSUR English , Jan 8th 2016
Facing possible austerity and a return to neoliberalism at the hands of a right wing parliament, will the millions involved in the Bolivarian revolution radicalize further and protect their 15 years of gains, or will this be the blow that finally dampens their revolutionary joy and collective ambition?
By José Omaña, Zobeida Guzman and Lucas Koerner, Nov 27th 2015
#LATE, “Every heartbeat counts”. The provocative slogan is flooding Venezuelan social media in recent weeks, appearing in vibrantly colored artwork, videos, and other multimedia. Much more than a passing hashtag, the campaign is the work of an army of revolutionary artists and grassroots media activists seeking to reinvent the aesthetic narrative of the Bolivarian Revolution, overcome "the exhaustion of the image of Chávez" and situate the commune at its “symbolic center”.
While members of the communications ministry met with hundreds of community and alternative media over the weekend to look at ways to support that movement, other government officials met with private media on Monday to encourage them to promote better values.
Communications Minister Ernesto Villegas announced the launch of a new state media system on Saturday that will encompass all state and community media outlets.
Media in Latin America have traditionally been consolidated into the hands of a few wealthy families and large media conglomerates. Over the last decade and a half, however, several governments in the region, including Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay, have moved to democratize media.
Carlos Ciappina, secretary of the Journalism and Social Communication School of the National University of La Plata, Argentina, explains why the school decided to award Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez a prize for popular communication in 2011, and discusses democratisation of media in Latin American more generally.
By Ewan Robertson - Venezuelanalysis.com, Oct 24th 2012
Carlos Camacho, a member of Venezuelan community television station Tatuy TV, discusses with VA.com the importance of community media for the realisation of participatory democracy in Venezuela, as well as the highs and lows experienced by the Tatuy TV project.
There is a line running out the door of LaraTVeC, with a microphone attached, so that people can be interviewed throughout the day as they exit the election booth. Over the past few weeks, participants of Lara TveC have been preparing for 24 hour coverage of the elections on Sunday...
