[R-G] Venezuela Strengthens Community Media in “Battle of Ideas

[Anthony Fenton]

Venezuela Strengthens Community Media in “Battle of Ideas”
February 14th 2008, by Kiraz Janicke - Venezuelanalysis.com
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/3158

Communication and Information Minister Andres Izarra speaking to  
President Chavez on his cell phone during a forum with community  
media. (VTV)
Caracas, February 14, 2008, (venezuelanalysis.com) - Venezuela's  
Communication and Information Minister, Andrés Izarra donated sixty- 
nine sets of audio-visual equipment to community television stations  
from around the country on Wednesday, with the objective of promoting  
a National System of Popular and Alternative Communication, to combat  
the "savage" opposition media campaign and increase the  
"communicational capacity" of Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution.

Speaking to over 400 community media representatives in the Cuartel  
San Carlos Historical Museum, Izarra stressed the importance of using  
community media to struggle for the truth, "to generate consciousness  
that allows for the creation of a new culture," as well as dealing  
with the day to day issues faced by the communities and promote  
values of solidarity.

Jhonny Pancho, a representative of Catia TV, one of Venezuela's  
oldest community television stations, whose slogan is "Don't just  
watch TV, make it!" said that the equipment would strengthen  
community production and consumption of communication. "The function  
of community media is to encourage the idea in our barrios, that the  
true protagonist of the new television is the people," Pancho stressed.

Pancho considered that the donation of equipment and the formation of  
an alternative media network "is to counterattack what the private  
media has done, the capitalist media, that wants to destroy our  
country."

Efrén Aguirre, an independent community TV producer who also welcomed  
the move by the government said, "The communication question reflects  
different interests. The private media obeys the interests of the  
capitalist class and our media reflects the interests of the community."

However, Gabriel Gil, President of Catia TV clarified that community  
media remains independent of the government. Catia TV doesn't  
hesitate to criticize public functionaries or incidents of  
bureaucracy Gil said.

"The editorial line of Catia TV responds to the necessities of the  
population with respect to the essential struggle against bureaucracy."

Collectives produce more than seventy percent of the programming of  
Catia TV, he added.
President Hugo Chavez, who spoke to the forum via telephone, also  
stressed the central role of alternative media in Venezuela's  
revolutionary process and reflected on an editorial published by a  
Venezuelan daily, titled "Politics is communication," that argued,  
among other things, communication constitutes 80 percent of success  
in politics.

For this reason, Chavez said, it's not strange that big capitalist  
interests devote their principal efforts to dominating the means of  
communication. "We can't allow this battle of ideas to weaken our  
process and our truth. It is necessary to strengthen this new  
communication strategy," he added.

He also called on the community media to use their programs to fight  
for the truth,
"We are battling for the dignity of the people and for the future of  
our youth. Go for the truth, criticize the government, criticize  
Chavez, criticize the ministers, criticize the enemy, attack hard and  
organized!" he said to loud applause.

A government decision not to renew the public broadcast license of  
private television station RCTV (which still transmits via cable and  
satellite), due to its consistent violations of Venezuela's Law on  
Responsibility in Television and Radio and active participation in  
the April 2002 military coup against Chavez, sparked an opposition  
outcry in May last year that there is "no freedom of expression" in  
Venezuela.

However, despite these claims, the vast majority of radio, television  
and print media remains in the private hands and are openly hostile  
to the government.

Gil argued that the Venezuelan people truly learnt the value of  
community TV during the military coup when the opposition forcefully  
shutdown media outlets such as Catia TV and state-owned Channel 8,  
while RCTV and other private TV channels broadcast false information.

Many government supporters argue that all the TV stations that  
actively participated in the military coup should be shut down and  
handed over to the people.

In recent weeks grass roots community groups have lodged a complaint  
with the Supreme Court calling for opposition private TV station,  
Globovision, to be investigated for violating media laws, saying it  
blatantly lies and manipulates information.

Even government opponents have slammed Globovision; a February 12  
post on opposition blog site, Caracas Chronicles, criticized  
Globovision for its "frequently amateurish and breathlessly partisan  
reporting, at its role in keeping oppo supporters cooped up in a  
claustrophobic little bubble of know-nothing anti-Chávez  
fundamentalism."

"It's straightforward: Globo sucks," the post continued.

In recent weeks Chavez has argued that the means of communications  
should not be in the hands of capitalists who are "traitors to the  
people," and should instead be run by the people themselves.

In May and June community media collectives will hold a series of  
national conferences to discuss ways to further strengthen and  
develop the National System of Popular and Alternative Communication.