The revolution by youth occurring in Venezuela has gained the attention and admiration of many hearts around the globe. February 12 on Venezuela’s national Youth Day, youth gathered in the streets to form protest against Maduro’s government that has not done well in maintaining the system set in place by Hugo Chavez, the former president of Venezuela.
From the inception of this struggle between the have’s and have not’s, a tone has been set by the media. This tone portrays the Venezuelan people as brave as they speak out against the growing socialist rule, with Maduro as the face of a government teetering on the edge of paranoia and ruthless dictator.
But is this a clear picture of the state of Venezuela? Many would say that the United States media has disproportionately represented facts and skewed assumed information and this is only worsened by the fact that Venezuelans also are receiving a skewed view of the media.
CNN reports, “Top Venezuelan officials have accused the United States of trying to destabilize their government.” In the Unites States troubles are incurred by the understanding that the US has done no wrong to receive scrutiny by Venezuelan government. This is a misconception given that up until the 1970s the US oil companies made direct profit at the expense of the Venezuelan people. Not to mention that George W. Bush was found to be a contributor to the coup that temporarily ousted Hugo Chavez in 2002. This earns the US more than a small bit of scrutiny.
Most notable is Venezuela’s attempt to decide who the victim is. To the shock of many, the Venezuelan government does not simply berate the protesters in Venezuelan news, they institute a more disheartening tactic. ForiegnPolicy.com reports, “Rather than broadcasting coverage of the protests that have spread throughout the country, the Venezuelan media has maintained a studious silence.”
But media blackout has not stopped there. They went so far as to begin censoring social media websites like Twitter, and disabling the capabilities to view pictures. They stepped further over the line by shutting down NTN24 news network (the only news network brave enough to report on the protest occurring in the streets). They did so under the Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television.
Revolution has shaken the world once again, only now unlike many other points in history the sound of the trumpets can be heard around the world. This is the power that social Media provides us with. But when respect is not given to these forms of communication, the troubles of boundaries are found. When any nation forgets that the media may be used to present fiction, but are just as valid for submittal of truths and instead use them as a machine for high-risk propaganda it is only a natural occurrence that civil liberties take a hit.
It is high time that social responsibility is taken outside of face to face interaction and all forms of communication be held to equal accountability.
