Venezuelan Media and State Politics

Activists with the Venezuelan People's Union (UPV) - a Venezuelan party that supports Hugo Chavez, the country's president - fired tear gas on August 04, 2009 as they raided the head office of Globovision, a television station critical of the Chavez government .

Chavez's government has officially condemned the UPV attack. Venezuelan interior minister spoke on government T.V today:

"In the name of the Bolivarian government we firstly want to condemn this attack energetically and reject this type of violent action against Globovision. We don't accept that violence be the instrument to solve our differences. "

Al Jazeera's Dima Khatib, reporting from Caracas, said the attack comes at a very critical time in Venezuela - with lots of debate over media ethics and the government's measures against private media. "Globovision is more than just a television channel here; it mobilizes opposition and almost acts like a political party," she said.

Globovision was also fined $2m last month for back taxes and officials have twice raided Globovision, alleging that owners have illegally engaged in black market capitalism. The Venezuelan government has said that it is monitoring Globovision, and may impose punitive measures against the channel.

The Venezuelan government has in recent weeks launched a series of measures against private media companies. Thirty-four radio stations were shut down over the weekend on the Chavez administration's orders and 120 more are under examination for alleged irregularities.

Critics say Chavez is trying to muzzle criticism of his rule.

Whatever the government's intentions, suppressing independent media should be a last resort and never policy. Chavez probably wouldn't even be able to evaluate how much such actions undermine his party's legitimacy. Perhaps he is content to disintegrate the very party he claims to lead?

Media provides information flow to people. Information flow can energize a population enough to increase participation the very reforms social projects seek to enact. Projects which may help evolve important institutions.

But media can also cut off a population's ability to perceive empirical events - and passify them into a complacent slumber of social uninvolvment. The tempo of the Venezuelan media and its dominating discourses will eventually implode and either shift towards violence, corporatism or some deeper cultural impetus. And new elites will rush in to manage or dominate what remains.

UPDATE: 8/4/09:

The BBC is reporting that Lina Ron (below), a pro-government activist in Venezuela has handed herself over to the authorities a day after a violent attack on Globovision TV station.

President Hugo Chavez said the left-wing militant has been one of his most ardent supporters, but would now face the full weight of the law. He deplored the attack, and said it would help his opponents attempts to undermine his legitimacy. Chavez has said that the attack "gives the enemy weapons to attack me even more as a tyrant".

Globovision still faces official investigations that could take it off air indefinitely.