TY - JOUR
T1 - The Media’s Influence on the Government
T2 - A Case Study of Venezuela’s Media Agenda Setting with a Non-Free Press and Its Repercussions
AU - Fredricks, Susan M.
AU - Phillips, Joshua D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors.
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - A free and open press (unincumbered by political pressures) is necessary to hold government officials accountable. When governments become entangled in the business of licensing and regulating news outlets, news outlets succumb to the pressures of only publishing stories favorable to the current regime. The temptation to publish negative stories could result in losing one’s publishing license. This scenario has been playing out in Venezuela for the past two decades and has led to a media culture of misinformation, confusion, and propaganda. This paper first analyzes the Venezuelan view on the influential forces on its government through the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). Second, it explores how the Venezuelan government vanquished the free press by affecting the Venezuelan citizens’ attitudes towards the press. Finally, it reviews how the internet and social media are creating new avenues for publishing uncensored and unregulated information in an effort to challenge current government restrictions.
AB - A free and open press (unincumbered by political pressures) is necessary to hold government officials accountable. When governments become entangled in the business of licensing and regulating news outlets, news outlets succumb to the pressures of only publishing stories favorable to the current regime. The temptation to publish negative stories could result in losing one’s publishing license. This scenario has been playing out in Venezuela for the past two decades and has led to a media culture of misinformation, confusion, and propaganda. This paper first analyzes the Venezuelan view on the influential forces on its government through the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). Second, it explores how the Venezuelan government vanquished the free press by affecting the Venezuelan citizens’ attitudes towards the press. Finally, it reviews how the internet and social media are creating new avenues for publishing uncensored and unregulated information in an effort to challenge current government restrictions.
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U2 - 10.3390/journalmedia2020016
DO - 10.3390/journalmedia2020016
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85168581281
SN - 2673-5172
VL - 2
SP - 275
EP - 287
JO - Journalism and Media
JF - Journalism and Media
IS - 2
ER -