Press freedom is dying in Venezuela

"El Universal" is just one example of how political pressure has brought the free press in Venezuela under the socialist government's thumb. The late President Hugo Chavez nationalized several television stations by buying shares or failing to renew their licenses. The last to fall was the influential Caracas channel Globovision, which government-affiliated officials turned into a mouthpiece in 2013. Since then, Venezuela's newspapers have been its last bastion of free reporting. But that, too, is crumbling visibly. In October 2013, the newspaper "Ultimas Noticias," aimed largely at a less educated population, changed hands. Several employees were terminated immediately. Those who remained, according to the non-governmental organization Espacio Público, were put on a tight leash of censorship and threatened with dismissal if they did not follow the new, pro-government, course. More…