Mass Media

After Venezuela president Hugo Chavez publically criticised website Noticiero Digital for falsely reporting the assassination of a government official, national and international mass media alleged that the Venezuelan government wanted to censor the Internet. Various government officials have responded that internet media is not exempt from already existing laws.

Venezuelan privately owned cable television channel RCTV has agreed to register “under protest” with the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) as a national producer after it was suspended for violation of Venezuela’s media law on January 23.

Venezuela’s National Telecommunications Commission CONATEL has lifted the suspension of four of the television stations that were suspended for failing to comply with Venezuela’s radio and television social responsibility law.

On Saturday, Venezuela’s National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) temporarily closed six national cable television channels for failure to comply with the country’s Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television.

On Thursday, Venezuela’s National Tele- communications Commission released a list of cable television companies that will be subject to the Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television.

This Friday, Venezuela celebrates the launching of its first and only English language newspaper, the Correo del Orinoco International. While in the past other English-language publications have existed, none remain in circulation today, and no others have been created during the Bolivarian Revolution.

Journalists, reporters and media workers representing independent, alternative, community and public media from across Latin America met in Caracas in a counter-summit to protest the so-called "Emergency Forum on Freedom of Speech" that was organized by the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) and the Venezuelan Press Bloc over September 18-19.

The national director of Venezuela's telecommunications agency announced on Monday that a request has been lodged with the Attorney General's Office to open a criminal investigation into private television station, Globovision, for broadcasting calls for a coup d'état and for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez walked the red carpet alongside film director Oliver Stone on Monday at the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of Stone's documentary, "South of the Border," which features interviews with Chavez and several other progressive leaders in South America.

On Sunday the first edition of the new progressive national newspaper, the Correo del Orinoco (Orinoco Post) came out. The colour, tabloid paper of 23 pages will be daily and cost 1 bolivar (US$ 0.45), and aim to provide realistic coverage of the processes of change in Venezuela, said its editor, Vanessa Davies.