Venezuela: Chávez buys 20% of Globovisión and announces an Internet regulation

Hugo Chávez

The Venezuelan State has just “bought” 20% of Globovisión, although that would not change (for now) its political positioning, as the majority stakeholder will continue to be Guillermo Zuloaga. Globovisión is the only independent TV station, after the Government shut down RCTV.

The Venezuelan Government is also going to impose its “revolution” on Internet. As Venezuelan blogger Martha Colmenares writes, the Government wants to impose its hegemony in the media, and that includes Internet. So they have sent to the National Assembly a draft of amendment to the Law on Social Responsbility in Radio and RV to regulate “the Internet and reform aspects of the Law concerning the media in general“. It will be presented next week in the plenary sessions.

The amendment refers to all digital media, including websites and blogs, and the use of social networks such as Twitter or Facebook. As a result, all the messages that don’t support Hugo Chávez, that are against Hugo Chávez even occasionally or that show Venezuelan reality, will be affected by the new law. “This is just pure censorship“. And of course, the dissidents won’t go unpunished.