12
Dec 14

Government Control in Brazil and Venezuela

Government control differs between Brazil and Venezuela when it comes to their media systems. Even though the media systems are more free in Brazil than they are in Venezuela, both have had laws or acts passed that restricts their media in one way or another.

photo courtesy of: http://www.crossed-flag-pins.com

photo courtesy of: http://www.crossed-flag-pins.com

In 1967, the Brazilian Press Code was passed. Even though it ensured freedom of the press, it would clamp down on anyone who went against the dictator at that time, which happened to be the military regime. It is interesting that Brazil had passed an act to ensure freedom of the press, when it was only freedom of the press to a certain extent. It seems like the Brazilian Press Code was purposely passed with the intensions that the government would still be allowed to victimize anyone who threatened them.

The Law of Social Responsibility in Radio, Television and Electronic Media was passed in 2004 in Venezuela. According to Freedom House, this law limits the freedom of media in Venezuela because it censors any content that goes against the government, that is inappropriate or provocative for kids to see, and forces the media to show government broadcasts. This act reduces the amount of content available for Venezuelans. By reducing the adult and violent content, the broadcasting in Venezuela seems to be controlled by the government to an extent because they only allow certain content on the airways when they think it is appropriate.

It is interesting to compare and contrast the media freedoms between Brazil and Venezuela by looking at how much the government controls their media systems. After analyzing these two media systems, it is interesting to see that the censorship in media has to do with who was in power at the time the law or act was passed. Both had authoritarian rulers at the time the laws were passed, so it makes sense that they both have to do with censorship in some way. Even though there have been laws and acts passed throughout history that advocate freedom of the media in both countries, there seem to be some inconsistencies when it comes to how free they really are.

 

Sources: http://www.pressreference.com/Be-Co/Brazil.html

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/venezuela#.VIniVSiG_G6

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19368807


08
Dec 14

Journalistic Safety in Brazil

Since there were many shifts back and forth between authoritarian and democratic rulers in Brazil throughout history, journalistic independence and safety depended on what kind of political system there was at the time. When there was an authoritarian government in Brazil, journalists were not safe because they would get in trouble if they reported news that went against the government. When there was a liberal government, as there is today, journalists have the freedom to publish what they want with little fear of being punished.

During the Vargas regime in the 1930s, the president at the time stressed propaganda and censorship of the press. During that era, journalists were not protected under freedom of the press, and the government would clamp down on them if they went against the government.

The military regime that came into power in the 1960s also stressed censorship of the media. During this time, journalists were also harmed if they publicized negative messages about the government. The death of one journalist in Brazil named Wladimir Herzog caused the newspapers to become publically outraged. His death and the reaction from the press foreshadowed the shift back to a liberal media system.

Today, journalists are living in a democracy and are protected under freedom of the press with little fear of being harmed. But according to an article posted by Freedom House, there was one recent incident where journalists were attacked for covering a newsworthy event in 2013. It involved journalists getting attacked for covering the protests against the increase of public spending and transportation prices due to the 2014 World Cup that was being hosted by Brazil. People were protesting because they were angry that prices were increasing and corruption was happening because of the upcoming worldwide event.

Courtesy of: freedomhouse.org

Photo source: freedomhouse.org

Overall, the independence of the journalists depends on the kind of political system they are reporting under. Authoritarian rulers often censor and promote propaganda, which leaves journalists with little freedom to report whatever they want. On the other hand, when there are democratic rulers that promote a liberal media system, journalists have the freedom to report what they want with little fear of getting punished.

Sources: http://www.pressreference.com/Be-Co/Brazil.html

https://freedomhouse.org/blog/journalists-covering-protests-face-growing-violence#.VGI7rCiG_G4


07
Dec 14

“Media Wars” in South America Cause Increased Regulation on Media Structures

“Media Wars” are becoming more and more common in South America. “Media Wars” occur between the government and media owners, battling for power and freedom of press. The “Media Wars” are fought openly in front of the public who often are against the choices of the government. In recent years, South America has seen a wave of government officials who are leftist. You have the left authoritarian in power and take control away from privately owned media companies such as President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. You also have the modern leftist like the government in Brazil who mimic the media of the United States. Both leftist governments has changed the current polices and of media regulation around South America. According to an article by The International Relation and Securities Network, “These policies aim to rebalance the presence of the market, state, and civil society in the media landscape. The ultimate goal of revitalizing market-alternative media logics is to democratize the public sphere.” These regulations are said to give more control of media structures to the state.

President Hugo Chaves Source: Google Images

Source: President Hugo Chavez-Google Images

Brazil, modern leftist, and Venezuela, authoritarian leftist, have extended state media TV stations and radio. Venezuela has also increased state ownership over print media. With increased state media regulations occurring, the public of Venezuela has voiced their opinion against the increased control of media as propaganda politics. According to the article, “In the region, any such policy attempt is rapidly stigmatized as “Venezolanization” whose government is trying to censor the media so its not influenced by US imperialism. However, Brazil media regulations and ownership are made to match those of the United States. In Brazil, Group Abril owns MTV Brazil in association of Viacom in the United Sates. The authorization governments in countries like Venezuela and Ecuador are increasing regulations on content and making more restrictions increasing the media wars. Brazil and Chile have some media wars but less due to the modern governments who realize the success of the US media structures that are free and privately owned yet still keep the values of the South American countries.

Source: Google Images

Source: Google Images

Sources:

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Articles/Detail/?id=164786

http://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/system/files/publications/wp151_kitzberger.pdf


01
Dec 14

Journalistic Safety in Venezuela

There is a current event in Venezuela that is stirring up a lot of political and media controversy. Recently, the Venezuelan government has increased media censorship due to the student-run protests that broke out in February 2014. The protests stem from the outrage of high crime rate and shortage of food in Venezuela. By increasing the censorship of the media, the government can control what information gets out to the public. Since the government does not want these protests to be publicized through the media, they are using censorship as a form of control to limit the negative messages that could be getting out to the public.

Journalists are risking their safety by trying to cover these student-run protests. This is because the government will clamp down on whoever is publicizing negative messages that seem to be a threat to the government. According to an article posted by the Canadian Journalists For Free Expression, two Venezuelan newspapers, called El Nacional and Tai Cual, published photos of dead bodies to represent the massive amount of deaths in Venezuela. Although the images of dead bodies in a newspaper could be argued as an ethical issue, the government fined and censored the newspapers for covering these issues because it made the government look bad.

Photo source: BBC

Photo source: BBC News/courtesy of AP

It is interesting to see the government penalize media outlets for publicizing issues that clearly are apparent and relevant to the citizens of Venezuela. The student-led protests and the media are coming together to show the government that there are significant problems in Venezuela, and something needs to be done before more people lose their lives. Journalists should not be in danger for calling attention to current issues in Venezuela, regardless if it has a negative effect on the government. The government to answer to the people of Venezuela in a fair manner, they should not just punish the media outlets.

 

Source: http://cjfe.org/resources/features/growing-media-censorship-venezuela


23
Nov 14

Venezuela Newspapers Change Appearance

There are two main types of newspapers in Venezuela, Caracas based and Maracaibo based papers. The two main regions of Venezuela determine the difference between the two types of newspapers. The two most influential newspapers are the two most popular Caracas based papers, El Universal and El Nacional. Following close behind are the two most Maracaibo based papers, Panorama and La Verdad. All daily newspapers in Venezuela feature national, international news, sports, lifestyle, political reports and obituaries. The papers are known to be conservative and are highly censored by the government. As technology increases, Venezuelan newspapers like El Universal have moved from being only available in print to having digital sites. Not only have they moved from print to online but newspapers in Venezuela are also improving their image.

Source: El Universal

Source: El Universal

 

Venezuela’s Daily Newspapers have been changing their appearances since the 2000s to follow the lead of North American papers. Daily newspapers in Venezuela are moving away from a mostly text based format to one that is focused on visual communication. A new Caracas based newspaper was created. Starting in April 2000, there was the creation of a new local paper called Tal Cual. The former director of the daily El Mundo, Teodoro Petkoff, created it as a tabloid paper. It is most visually intriguing newspaper out of the Caracas newspapers such as El Universal and El Nacional. The newspaper, Tal Cual combines vigorous writing style with a colorful and informal layout. Not only Caracas based papers but Maracaibo based papers have changed their appearance as well. According to press reference, ” In 2000, Panorama effected a major design overhaul with the aid of a team of American graphic designers.” I wonder if the increase attention to appearance of the newspaper will improve the circulation of newspapers in print since people can get the same news on the papers online websites.

Source: Noticias24

Source: Noticias24

Sources:

http://www.pressreference.com/Uz-Z/Venezuela.html

http://www.talcualdigital.com


23
Nov 14

Regional Newspapers in Brazil Rank #1 in Credibility

When looking into Brazils newspapers, I found it interesting that they don’t have a daily national newspaper but rather a bunch of regional daily newspapers. The lack of a national daily newspaper is seen in the small circulations for the biggest titles. The top four circulation newspapers are Folha de Sao Paulo, O Globo, O Dia, and O Estado de Sao Paulo. The largest circulation is for the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper with a circulation of 560,000. I wonder if a national daily newspaper was created in Brazil, if it would be popular since the country is so used to having only regionalized papers.

Source: Observing Brazil

Source: Observing Brazil

 

Since the start of newspapers in the late 1800s they have played an important role in the history of Brazil. Starting in the 1970s, newspapers had a crucial impact on transitioning Brazil from military to democratic rule. When Fernando de Collor was elected into power in the 1990s, the newspapers around the country wrote articles about the social and economic issues that were occurring in the country under Fernando’s rule. The people of Brazil looked to newspapers as their number one source of creditability. When the newspapers started to show the negatives of Fernando de Collor it lead to his impeachment. Throughout the 1990s and early 21st century, the Brazilian press has continues to take a serious role in being a government watchdog. Even with advancements in technology and increased news sources in Brazil, newspapers are still ranked number one in public creditability. In a BBC poll about which news sources they trusted most, Brazilians gave 68%, the highest rating, to newspapers followed by national Television and family and friends. Brazilians ranked blogs the lowest in the poll as the news source they trusted the least. I wonder with increases in technology and increase in news sources if newspapers will remain the most credible source to Brazilians in the future.

Sources:

http://www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbcreut_country.html

http://www.pressreference.com/Be-Co/Brazil.html


12
Nov 14

Brazil’s Family Owned Media Structures

Brazil is the fifth largest country and has media structures that reach all of the 200 million people who populate the country. It would be hard for the government or one organization to have control over the all medias for large population that is spread out around more than 8 million square meters in 26 states. However, Brazil has found a way to control the media that has been successful for many years and that is through a few family own companies that dominate the market. The largest family owned company is Organizaçõnes Globo, which are not only the largest in Brazil but also the largest in South America. Organizcones Globo owns numerous magazines, newspapers and the biggest TV network, Globo, which has over 1,222 stations. The second largest family owned company is one that controls the largest publisher in Brazil, Grupo Abril. Grupo Abril has controls over Editoria Abril who publishes Veja, the general weekly magazine, which is the third largest in the world and largest outside of the United States. Not only do these family owned companies have control over the media in Brazil but also they have large impact in media around the world helping Brazil to grow economically and globally. This family owned companies are tightly structured and work well with each other in multiple media platforms to give information to the people.

Photo Source: Google Images

Photo Source: Google Images

However, an article I read in Forbes, discussed how in 2013, the most watched TV network in Brazil, TV Globo, got backlash from the public during the political elections. People love to hate media stations for biased content and their impact on politics. The people of Brazil know that the size of the viewership for Rede Globo, the most watched station in the TV Globo network, has a large influence of the outcome of national politics. The public of Brazil believes that Red Globo in 1989 aired the debate between Fernando Collor de Mello and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in such a way that Fernado Collor de Mello won the election. In August 2013 protest invaded the headquarters of Rede Globo and protested that whoever is in power works with Rede Globo to make sure their news is biased towards them. I think its interesting how these family owned companies who hold so much power, aren’t seen as the enemy unless the government and politics is involved in the news they are reporting.

Photo Source: Democratic Undergound

Photo Source: DemocraticUnderground.com

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andersonantunes/2013/08/01/why-brazilians-oddly-blame-the-globo-media-empire-for-the-countrys-misfortunes/

http://www.jeffreygroup.com/news/details/75/


12
Nov 14

Venezuela’s Media System

Even though Venezuelan media systems constitute freedom of the press, the past and present authoritarian rulers prove otherwise. The recent authoritarian leaders have increased censorship over the media systems, and by doing so they contradict the constitution that indicates freedom of the press. Venezuelan media systems are not completely free, and the authoritarian government instills fear in journalists due to the ambivalent wording of the constitution. For example, the Venezuelan Constitution that was created in 1999 by President Hugo Chávez states in article 57 that they have freedom of expression, while article 58 states, “right to timely, truthful, impartial, and uncensored information”. There has been skepticism about the wording of these articles of the constitution because it is a possibility that the government could clamp down on opinionated journalists who do not report solid facts or have negative views on the government

Hugo Chávez was the president of Venezuela from 1999-2013. Even though he was elected under a democratic nation, he follows the ways of an authoritarian leader. Chávez believed in Bolivarianism. This philosophy included teachings from Marxism, and it was his basis of beliefs and ruling methods for the government. He exerted control over the media in Venezuela by clamping down on the media when they went against the government. The criticism of the government through media resulted in the prosecution of various media outlets. According to an article posted by the BBC, Chávez threatened the removal of the popular Venezuelan television station called RCTV because he thought the station threatened the government. After the station moved to cable television, Chávez demanded that the station run his political speeches. After the station denied running the president’s speeches, RCTV was removed from television altogether. This shows that the president had control over what the media outlets portrayed. If it was not what he wanted, then he used his power to remove the station from the air. Even though President Hugo Chávez was elected under a democratic nation, he was an authoritarian ruler who had major control over the media systems.

chavez

Photo source: the Telegraph/courtesy of Reuters

 

The current president of Venezuela is named Nicolás Maduro. Today the government still gets judged for having too much power over the media systems in Venezuela, even though the constitution states that they have freedom of the press.

nicolas maduro

Photo source: ABC/ courtesy of AFP: Juan Barreto

It is interesting to see the massive amount of power authoritarian leaders exert over the media systems in Venezuela. If the president of Venezuela is unhappy about media criticizing the government, he could use his power to censor or abolish that media altogether.

 

Sources:

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/venezuela#.VGKtoCiG_G4

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19368807

http://www.pressreference.com/Uz-Z/Venezuela.html

http://worldnews.about.com/od/venezuela/f/bolivarianrevolution.htm


12
Nov 14

Brazil’s Media System

Historically since 1889, Brazil’s media systems have shifted back and forth between authoritarian and democratic rulers, which had an effect on whether there was media censorship or freedom of the press. The freedom or lack of freedom of the media system depended on the ruler of the specific period of time. When there was a dictator, there was more media censorship in Brazil, and when there was a democratic ruler, the media system was free and acted in a more liberal way.

brazil gov

Photo source: Brazil- U.S. Business Council

 

In 1930, the President Getulio Vargas served back and forth between dictator and elected president. His dictatorship affected the freedom of the press in a negative way because he stressed propaganda and censorship of the press. Journalists were in danger during his ruling period and formally charged if they did not abide by his ways. Post World War II started in 1945 and brought about a democratic change to the media system. Freedom of the press was implemented due to a revised Constitution. Shortly after the reestablishment of the democracy, there was a shift back to media censorship due to the military regime that came into power. In 1967, the Brazilian Press Code was put into effect. Even though the press code claimed that it ensured freedom of the press, there were certain exceptions to the law, like criticizing the government at the time, which would cause the journalist to be in danger. So, this act did not fully grant freedom of the press. The late 70’s were the premise that led to the lifting of censorship in 1985 that has lasted until today. Brazil’s media systems have shifted back to a libertarian system, and journalists can write about whatever they want with the privilege of freedom of the press. Brazilian newspapers are credible sources, and they also serve as the government watchdog, where they monitor the government in making sure that everything is running smoothly.

Although Brazil’s media systems have a rocky history by shifting back and forth between media censorship and media freedom, today Brazil has a liberal media system. Journalists are granted the freedom to write about what they want with little fear of being clamped down by the government.

I think the constant shift back and forth between government powers throughout Brazil’s history has shaped it to be a strong nation today.

 

Source: http://www.pressreference.com/Be-Co/Brazil.html

 

 


15
Dec 14

Brazil has the world’s biggest internet addicts

The recent study about the internet usage for a week shows Brazilians spend the most time to do the internet.  According to the study, 71% of Brazilian are online at least once an hour. 51% of Brazilian internet users said they were online all day long, and 20% used the internet more than 10 times a day. The internet usage for social networks are 58% of total usage. Amount of the time people spend on the internet would definitely affect to themselves regardless of what they do on the internet. Even though they just connect the social network for fun, they could also get lots of chances to see the articles or postings about the news or issues of country. From these reasons, the tremendous amount of internet usage by one person could affect the country. The internet should give more chances to know about the truth or news of the country. Finally, people could think about the way to make better their own society or things like that. The amount of internet usage in Brazil is very interesting and remarkable, and it can be the bridge to build the country better.

Reference

http://qz.com/304179/brazil-has-the-worlds-biggest-internet-addicts/


15
Dec 14

Venezuela restricts access to Internet after ban on Twitter

Venezuela restricts access to Internet after ban on Twitter

The protests caused by the country’s poor economy, inadequate monitoring of the food industry and other social problems make worse situation in Venezuela. Finally, president decided to restrict the internet access in Venezuela and surrounding territory. He imposed some restrictions on TV channels and specific internet web sites like Twitter and Facebook to prevent protesters from coordinating their actions via these mediums. The government put more regulations to threaten the opposition. They have decided to provide additional authority to the Strategic Center for Security and Protection of the Fatherland, which is already claimed to have unprecedented rights for monitoring and censorship of Internet resources in the country. There are lots of criticisms from human rights groups and the public. However, president and the government keep same regulations and attitude to censor everything on the internet. The president and Venezuelan government try to block the eyes of public. It cannot be the solution for the problems in the country. They need to hear more from the public, and think about solutions to make the problems better.

References

http://sputniknews.com/voiceofrussia/news/2014_02_21/Venezuela-restricts-access-to-Internet-after-ban-on-Twitter-0068/?link-2


15
Dec 14

Venezuela’s President Strengthens Education

The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, gives a speech in the Miraflores Palace. (AVN)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a series of measures that aim to strengthen education and development. The government wants to restructure the educational system with the Robert Serra Mission. It was organized to honor the young lawmaker who was murdered last month. The announcement what the government announced about scholarship to high school students is very important issue in Venezuela. They increase in scholarships to high school students from 95,000 to 200,000. The government decided to invest money about U.S.$1.4 billion to Robert Serra Mission Program. The National Federation of High School Students aims to guarantee quality education, strengthen the role ofteachers, promote a school climate of coexistence, and create a system of student protection. As the Venezuelan government think the education is important to improve their power of the country, now they are trying to find out the effective way to help people to be educated.

 

Reference

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Venezuelas-Maduro-Strengthens-Education-20141120-0039.html


14
Dec 14

Weddings in Venezuela

Weddings in Venezuela are extremely vibrant and incorporate a larger-than-life culture. This is mainly due to the fact that Venezuelan culture is influenced by many different cultures including Hispanic, Italian, Native American, German, Portuguese, and South American countries.

Venezuelan engagements are a very important. Most Venezuelans live at home until they are married so family plays an important role in the engagement and wedding process. Couples choose their own partners, of course, but family approval is highly values. It is customary for the groom to approach the father of the bride-to-be and ask for his permission and blessing before proposing to his daughter.

Most Venezuelan couples hold two ceremonies for the wedding. First, they hold a small civil ceremony, then a much bigger and grander religious ceremony. The larger more faith-based ceremony usually takes place in a religious or spiritual venue like a chapel or a church. Only after the large religious ceremony is the couple considered to be “officially” married. This shows just how important religion is to the Venezuelan people.

It is customary for Venezuelan grooms to offer their bride the gift of Arras. This consists of 13 gold coins representing Jesus and his apostles. This is symbolic that he will always provide for her. During the reception party, there is a the custom of ‘la hora loca’, or ‘the crazy hour’ that begins with the distribution of special wedding favors including special masks, wigs, specially decorated hats, noisemakers and whistles. This hour is supposed to add an extra element of fun to the party. Everyone is expected to dance for the entire hour.

‘La hora loca’ during a Venezuelan wedding

‘La hora loca’ is an interesting concept to me because it seems like a forced and unnatural process. I have not heard of such a thing in the U.S.. It is interesting, however, because it is meant to encourage people from both sides of the family to mix and mingle while dancing and having a good time.

Sources:

http://www.worldweddingtraditions.net/venezuelan-wedding-traditions/


14
Dec 14

Carnival of Brazil

The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival that marks the beginning of lent. It is a cultural and religious celebration. It is a long festival that starts on Friday afternoon, 51 days before Easter, and ends on Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of lent.

The celebration varies from region to region in Brazil. In the southeastern cities (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Vitória), there are big organized parades led by samba schools. These schools entertain the community through samba nights and create a pageant for the samba parade. They have to pick themes, write music and lyrics, make costumes and floats, and practice all year long to succeed in the parade. The official parades are meant to be watched by the public. The types of music played during the carnival include samba-enredo, the samba de bloco, the samba de embalo, and the marchinha.

In the northeastern cities (Recife, Olinda, Salvador, and Porto Seguro), there are organized groups parading through the streets. The public interacts directly with them. The carnival is influenced by African-Brazilian culture and is a six-day-long party. The music played in the northeastern cities includes the frevo, the maracatu, the samba-reggae, and Axé music.

Carnival is the most famous holiday of Brazil. The entire country almost stops for week just to celebrate. The celebrations go on all day and all night and people come from all over the world to take part in the festivities.

I find it fascinating that the entire country partakes in a giant festival each year. It is interesting that everything basically stops just for the celebration. The slight differences in style and music from region to region is also very interesting to me. It would be a really cool experience to see the differences and experience the festivals in different areas.

 

Sources:

http://www.rio-carnival.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Carnival


Skip to toolbar