| Since the election of Hugo Chavez in 1999 and the subsequent rapid growth of Venezuelan immigration to the United States, there has been an explosion of Venezuelan community media in South Florida. While focused on local issues, the mediated communication being produced and distributed among members of this community remains distinctly transnational in scope, informed primarily by events taking place in Venezuela as the country is being transformed politically, socially, and economically under the controversial leadership of President Hugo Chavez. This study presents an empirical, qualitative investigation into the practices of Venezuelan media producers in South Florida through a series of 34 in-depth interviews, concluding with the concepualization of three distinct models of immigrant journalism. The goal is to provide a more complete picture of global journalism and transnational migration in the digital media era. |
