Venezuelan gov't in need of communicational hegemony

"Communicational hegemony is not a choice: It is an essential duty of the model." Such is the view of Marcelino Bisbal the coordinator of Graduate Studies in Social Communication, Andrés Bello Catholic University.

During the forum "Journalism and communications in today's Venezuela," hosted by the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VenAmCham), Bisbal proclaimed that "docking with political control" is a common feature in public communications. Journalists with daily newspaper El Universal Ender Marcano and Juan Francisco Alonso were awarded by VenAmCham during the event

According to the expert, the communicational system implemented by the government of President Hugo Chávez "imposes forms of communication closer to the bases of fascist propaganda."

Bisbal explained that the government strategy includes strong State meddling; exclusion of political and social stockholders from government media outlets;  regulations that seriously restrict freedom of expression; removal of dissent; closing of informational sources; limits to the access of public information; creation of real mechanisms of censorship and self-censorship; intimidation and attacks on media outlets and journalists, and denial of government sponsored spots for media outlets that are critical of the government.

rtheis@eluniversal.com

Translated by Conchita Delgado