| This research examines the contentious relationship President Hugo Chávez had with the Venezuelan mass media during the 1998-2012 period of his administration. During those 14 years, Chávez created multiple state-owned media outlets, often used exclusively for the promotion of his own political ideologies. He also restricted the rights of the media through threats, laws, and the cancellation of broadcasting licenses. The private media fought back with media owners, managers, and journalists openly expressing their opposition to Chávez through opinionated news coverage and even involvement in a coup d'état attempt. The actions that comprise this media war for ideological power and how they jeopardized democracy in Venezuela are described and examined in this study through a cultural studies theoretical framework. |
