海角大神

鈥�听David Smilde is the moderator of WOLA's blog:听Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights.听The views expressed are the author's own.

What originally appeared as a visible but subtle change of direction at Venezuelan television station Glovovisi贸n has in the last two weeks become a raucous turning point with multiple journalists being fired or resigning. The turmoil leaves Globovisi贸n鈥檚 role as an opposition outlet in doubt and appears to represent a new extension of the Venezuelan government鈥檚 control over broadcast media.

Following Guillermo Zuloaga鈥檚 announcement in March that he had agreed in principle to the sale of Globovisi贸n it was finally acquired at the beginning of May by a business group rumored to have ties with the Government.

The announcement of the hiring of journalists Vladimir Villegas and Leopoldo Castillo as station directors generated considerable optimism about the new Globovisi贸n and its independence. However on May 13, after a meeting with the new owners, Mr. Villegas surprisingly announced on Twitter that he would not be accepting the position after all. He commented that 鈥渨e didn鈥檛 reach agreement on programming nor on what my competencies would be.鈥澨�

One of the new owners, Juan Domingo Cordero, declared on May 16 that there had been disagreements in the meeting with Villegas over the general direction the business should follow, but he assured that there would be no changes in the channel and that all the journalists would keep their jobs: 鈥淎ll the news anchors are staying, there won't be any changes here.鈥�

However events have unfolded quite differently.

On May 22, President Nicol谩s Maduro met with two of the new owners of the Channel, Ra煤l Corr铆n and Gustavo Perdomo, in Miraflores. The meeting was qualified by the business men as 鈥渃ordial鈥� and they declared that they had told President Maduro that Globovisi贸n would contribute to 鈥渢he decrease in the levels of violence in the country.鈥� Information Minister Jorge Arreaza, also present in the meeting, revealed that Maduro had insisted on the need for 鈥済enerating television content with transcendent values for the future of the children and the need to struggle against fascism, which is a threat to society in any part of the world.鈥�

Only two days after that meeting with the government, Globovisi贸n confirmed rumors that Ismael Garc铆a (opposition National Assembly representative and responsible for making public the Mario Silva audio) would leave his morning opinion program 鈥淎l贸 Venezuela.鈥� The program will still be aired with co-host Delvalle Canel贸n but without Mr. Garc铆a. The statement explained that the policy of the channel was not to air programs hosted by candidates for political office, and since Garc铆a would be a candidate for Mayor of Caracas in the upcoming municipal elections, the channel had asked him to leave the program. In Venezuela it is common for elected leaders and candidates for office to simultaneously work as broadcast journalists.

The next day the channel also announced that the popular late night host of the show 鈥淕ood Night,鈥� Francisco Bautista 鈥淜iko,鈥� would leave Globovisi贸n. On the same night of the 26th Henrique Capriles tweeted several times about Globovisi贸n. He expressed solidarity with the workers of the channel and claimed that the new owners had given express orders not to provide live coverage of his speeches and declarations.

On Monday the 27th, news anchor Pedro Luis Flores, and 鈥淏uenas Noches鈥� cohost Carla Angola announced they had quit Globovisi贸n in solidarity with Kiko. The Globovisi贸n web page announced the reporters where leaving the channel on 鈥渢he best of terms.鈥� That same day Globovisi贸n published a statement on its web page reaffirming that the exit of Garc铆a had been on friendly terms and that Kiko had made misinformed declarations on the matter. The statement denies the existence of a 鈥渓ist of professionals鈥� that will be fired, and ends with the assertion that 鈥渕edia outlets are not political parties.鈥�

That same afternoon, reporter Leopoldo Castillo (popular host of the show 鈥淎l贸 Ciudadano鈥� and now temporary director of Globovisi贸n), in a statement aired by Globovisi贸n declared that there had been misunderstandings recently and that he would do everything in his power to keep the channel鈥檚 personnel 鈥渦nited,鈥� but if that was not possible, he would simply leave. He also asked his fellow reporters to 鈥渘ot respond emotionally鈥� and impulsively. He added that if he discovered recent events in the channel where part of a 鈥渟ystematic policy, which up to date I have not uncovered, you can be sure that I will speak out.鈥� (The video can be seen here.)

That same night Kiko declared to CNN en Espa帽ol that his meeting with the new owners of the channel had been 鈥渧ery aggressive鈥�, and that they had 鈥渦sed the same arguments that the oficialismo [government] uses to attack me. They told me that the channel had been used as a political party and was responsible for what had happened in the country. They told me that I used slander and that I made fun of people.鈥� He also denounced that the day Ismael Garc铆a had made public the Mario Silva audio, in several occasions they had tried to take it off the air 鈥渁nd then that night at news hour, when that information was given, the reporter that wrote the note said that it had been edited. They took out the parts where Diosdado Cabello was named.鈥�

In a press conference, Kiko reiterated that the new board of directors is exercising censorship in line with the Government. He also declared that during his last meeting with the new directors, they had offered to buy the name of the show 鈥淏uenas Noches,鈥� which Kiko owns, but that he had refused.

On Tuesday May 28听Maduro declared that the problem with Globovisi贸n is not disagreements over a supposed change of editorial line but a fight between different factions of the 鈥渞ight鈥� for control of the channel: 鈥淭hey are dealing with a huge problem among themselves鈥�In the end they are the ones that are destroying the TV channel that the fascist right used to poison the country: Globovisi贸n.鈥�

The Globovisi贸n official twitter account has suffered an 鈥渦nfollow鈥� campaign by opposition followers unhappy with what they perceive is a change in the editorial line of the channel. According to Noticias 24, the account had 2,732,394 followers on Sunday 26th. At the time of writing this post the account has 2,349,779 followers.

鈥� 听David Smilde is the moderator of WOLA's blog:听Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights.听