Air Venezuela
The week's news at a glance.
Caracas
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is helping launch a television network to counteract what he calls “the media dictatorship of the big international news networks.” Telesur, scheduled to begin broadcasting in July, will give the left-leaning Chavez and allies in Cuba, Brazil, and other Latin American countries an outlet for news from their perspective—much like Al-Jazeera does for the Arab world. “We will see our own reality on the air,” said Telesur’s director, Aram Aharonian. But critics say Chavez, who has survived a coup attempt and a recall election, is trying to monopolize the airwaves. In March, his government amended Venezuela’s criminal code, making it a crime to insult his government.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
The daily gossip: Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes break silence on 'GMA' firing, Margot Robbie refused to move 'Barbie' away from 'Oppenheimer,' and more
The daily gossip: December 5, 2023
By Brendan Morrow, The Week US Published
-
Could the fight over the southern border kill American aid to Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Republican demands for boosted border security have thrown a major wrench in a much-needed aid package to help Ukraine
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
College football has a major controversy. Will Congress get involved?
Talking Point Why Florida State was left out of the College Football Playoff
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published