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Venezuela, in the international press: A biased coverage

Abstract:

Introduction. Coverage of Venezuela was examined in 28 major newspapers in Latin America, Europe and the U.S. over a period of one year. The objective was to determine whether there was a systematic bias. Methodology. Qualitative and quantitative content analysis was combined. Several categories were condensed into two variables -trend and impact- with a simple measurement scale attached. Results. A systematic negative bias in the coverage of Venezuela in the major newspapers was shown: 82% of the articles published had a negative impact. At the same time, 95% of the topics were associated with the Venezuelan government. Discussion and conclusions. A systematic negative bias means that the right to information of the citizens-readers is not being fulfilled.