Venezuela / Americas

  
Copies of Tal Cual are read in Caracas in 2007. The critical Venezuelan newspaper has been forced to downsize in an effort to survive. (AP/Leslie Mazoch)

In Venezuela, Tal Cual under pressure but not defeated

Tal Cual, one of the few remaining Venezuelan newspapers critical of the government, is so shorthanded there’s often no receptionist on hand to let people in. Visitors must bang on the front door until someone in the newsroom notices. That can take a while because there are hardly any editors or journalists left.

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Rolls of donated newsprint are delivered to papers in Caracas. The country's press is struggling to have supplies imported. The shortage has forced the daily Correo del Caroní to cut its page numbers. (AFP/Juan Barreto)

News rationed as Venezuela seeks to control newsprint imports

Venezuelan newspapers have traditionally handed out hundreds of courtesy copies in their lobbies and at hotels. But Correo del Caroní, an independent daily in the industrial city of Ciudad Guayana, treats every edition as if it were precious and now gives away just 14 copies, including one to the owner.

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The headquarters of El Universal in Caracas. The daily, which had a reputation for being critical of the government, was sold in July 2014. (Reuters/Jorge Silva)

Venezuela’s El Universal criticized for being tamed by mystery new owners

To illustrate how the once-critical Caracas daily El Universal has cozied up to Venezuela’s socialist government in the wake of its sale in July, it helps to examine the newspaper’s coverage of the current oil price plunge.

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Slideshow: Covering protests in Venezuela

Coverage of street demonstrations is an exceptionally dangerous assignment, with journalists subject to assaults, obstruction, detention, raids, threats, censorship orders, and confiscation or destruction of equipment. This report is one in a series of three by Getty photographers who documented for CPJ their recent experiences covering protests and shared their photographs.

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Protesters take cover amid clashes with police in Kiev on February 20. (AFP/Sergei Supinsky)

Body armor must match threat in Venezuela and Ukraine

Covering street violence is one thing. Covering gunfire is another. This week, firearms were unexpectedly introduced into ongoing clashes between protesters and police in two parts of the world, raising the threat level faced by journalists trying to cover events.

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Venezuelan economic controls lead to newsprint shortage

Although nearly all Venezuelan newspapers have websites, many of their readers like to get their news the old-fashioned way: on paper. But that’s getting tougher every day amid a critical shortage of newsprint.

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This screen shot shows EUTV's home page. (CPJ)

Web-based TV opens space for critical voices in Venezuela

With its low budget décor and grainy images, EUTV has the look and feel of small-town community television. But the Web-based TV station that went live on November 18 has much larger ambitions: It intends to be the primary source for Venezuelans who covet independent television news.

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Venezuela forces ISPs to police Internet

The concept of network neutrality holds that all Internet traffic should be treated equal and that Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, should serve as free-flowing gateways for information rather than as filters. But in politically polarized Venezuela, neutrality is an increasingly rare commodity and now ISPs are feeling the heat.

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Shoppers flock to stores after the government orders business owners to lower prices. (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

Venezuela tries to suppress reports of economic upheaval

Amid skyrocketing inflation and shortages of basic goods, Venezuelan authorities claim that an “economic war” is being waged against the socialist government of President Nicolás Maduro. The government is striking back by forcing stores to discount prices, by arresting business owners accused of hoarding–and by targeting journalists trying to cover the grim economic news.

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Pressure on Venezuela’s media worsening

During his 14 years in power, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez tried to muzzle critical news organizations. Chávez died in March, but the pressure on Venezuela’s remaining independent media outlets is only getting worse under his successor.

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