Editing Mass media in Venezuela (section)

==Media freedom==
According to [[Freedom House]] in their ''Freedom of the Press 2014'' report, the media in Venezuela is classified as "not free".<ref name=FHreport/> Venezuela's press freedom was also ranked low, with a ranking of 171 out of 197 countries.<ref name=FHrankings>{{cite web|title=Press Freedom Rankings|url=http://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press-2014/press-freedom-rankings#.U2KY761dUQ5|publisher=Freedom House|access-date=1 May 2014|archive-date=2 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502002410/http://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press-2014/press-freedom-rankings#.U2KY761dUQ5|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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."<ref name=FHreport/>

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.<ref name=TheListeningPost>{{cite web|title=Venezuelas's Ongoing Media War|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2017/05/venezuela-ongoing-media-war-170513114624033.html|work=The Listening Post|access-date=1 April 2018}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=September 2022}}

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.<ref name=OAS2013>{{cite web|title=Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 2013|url=http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/expression/docs/reports/2014_04_22_%20IA_2013_ENG%20_FINALweb.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/expression/docs/reports/2014_04_22_%20IA_2013_ENG%20_FINALweb.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|work=Report|publisher=Inter-American Commission on Human Rights|access-date=2 May 2014}}</ref>

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".<ref>{{cite web|title=WORLD REPORT {{!}} 2014|url=https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/wr2014_web.pdf|work=Report|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=2 May 2014|archive-date=25 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825181905/https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/wr2014_web.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ipys: En cinco años más de 25 medios cambiaron de dueño en Venezuela|url=http://www.lapatilla.com/site/2015/03/20/ipys-en-cinco-anos-mas-de-25-medios-cambiaron-de-dueno-en-venezuela/|access-date=20 March 2015|agency=[[La Patilla]]|date=20 March 2015}}</ref>

===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.<ref name="OAS2013" />

====During treatment of Hugo Chávez's cancer====
Employees of ''Globovision'' filed complaints to the Public Prosecutor about "supposed threats by representatives of the [[Government of Venezuela#Executive branch|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".<ref name="OAS2013" />

====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".<ref name="OAS2013" />

====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".<ref name="OAS2013" />

====Releasing private information====
In 2014, ''[[Diario Las Americas]]'' reported that the Venezuelan news website [https://web.archive.org/web/20180404022628/http://www.noticias24.com/ 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 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.diariolasamericas.com/america-latina/portal-chavista-noticias-24-delata-usuarios.html|title=Portal chavista Noticias 24 delata a sus usuarios|newspaper=Diaro Las Americas|access-date=3 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503070256/http://www.diariolasamericas.com/america-latina/portal-chavista-noticias-24-delata-usuarios.html|archive-date=3 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Censorship ===
The Venezuelan internet freedom declined in 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.infobae.com/america/venezuela/2017/11/14/venezuela-aumento-la-censura-y-las-restricciones-a-internet-segun-el-ultimo-informe-de-freedom-house/|title=Venezuela aumentó la censura y las restricciones a Internet, según el último informe de Freedom House|work=Infobae|access-date=2018-04-04|language=es-LA}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/25/venezuela_increases_censorship_surveillance/|title=Venezuela increases internet censorship and surveillance in crisis|website=Theregister.co.uk|access-date=2018-04-04|language=en}}</ref>