News coverage of opposition leader Juan Guaidó's arrival at the international airport and his fiery speech in a Caracas plaza were largely blacked out.
The following is an excerpt of an 18 March 2019 CPJ blog post by John Otis/CPJ Andes Correspondent.
One of the world’s biggest news stories on March 4 was the daring return to Venezuela of opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaidó, who faced possible arrest by the authoritarian regime of Nicolás Maduro. But most Venezuelans were unable to follow his homecoming.
The bulk of Venezuela’s TV and radio stations, which are controlled by the government, ignored Guaidó. Meanwhile, the London-based digital rights group Netblocks reported that Venezuela’s dominant state-run internet service provider (ISP) had temporarily blocked Twitter, streaming portals including YouTube and Soundcloud, and numerous websites that are among the only sources of independent news.
As a result, news coverage of Guaidó’s arrival at the international airport, his climbing atop a vehicle to greet supporters lining the highway, and his fiery speech in a Caracas plaza were largely blacked out.
