By now, most people have read or heard about the Venezuelan government’s constant attempts to shut down media outlet Globovisión, including back in May 2009 after Globovisión reported on an earthquake that had taken place in the towns of Miranda, Vargas, and Aragua. At the time, the government accused Globovisión of destabilizing the country by reporting on the earthquake and creating fear among the people. It should be no surprise then that in August the National Assembly passed a new Institutional Education Act (Ley Orgánica de Educación) that may have severe consequences for independent media in Venezuela. As noted in a recent article in the Economist, President Hugo Chavez sees the mass media as one of the three most important institutions in educating children, reason enough to include several articles affecting it in his education reform. Among other things, the new law gives the government the authority to “immediately suspend” the publication of content that “causes terror in children,” promotes “indiscipline,” or goes against “the mental and physical health of the people.” Anywhere these days it’s hard to imagine the news showing anything that wouldn’t fit into one of these categories based on Chavez’s judgment call.
The main critics of President Chavez’s education law see it as a grand scheme to brainwash Venezuelan children in the ideals of Mr. Chavez’s socialist revolution and bring them under state control, something the government strongly denies. Taking a more analytical approach, CIPE’s partner the Center for the Dissemination of Economic Knowledge (CEDICE), recently published a cost-benefit analysis (in Spanish) of the new law that highlights the troubling areas, as well as the few positive aspects, such as setting the minimum number of school days at 200. Yet based on its analysis, CEDICE says that the approved law represents more of a framework than an actual system to regulate specifically defined aspects and functioning of the education system. Thus it should not have been passed without more debate and concrete details. El Universal also presents a positive and negative look at the Law here (in Spanish).
It is not yet clear how or when the law will be implemented, but it is disconcerting nonetheless. It’s hard to imagine living in a society where the media is not allowed to warn people about an impending hurricane (or tornado – for my Midwestern friends) because it may cause “terror in children.”
Speaking of media independence/freedom of expression in Latin America, check out Elaine Ford’s post on the topic on the Perspectiva blog (in Spanish).
Published Date: September 18, 2009