"I am an adversary of censorship. ... As a journalist, I couldn't live under censorship or
under any imposed editorial line. I would prefer not to pursue my profession. ...
In Venezuela today, there is censorship. That isn't something I think, it's
something I see. Anyone can see it. ... Chavista
leaders see what they want to see. The picture I have is of a very closed
group. There is no room for those who don't follow their script - and that is their
project for the nation. Democracies persuade - not force. There you have the
difference: they want the project they present to be an obligation."
-- Fernando del
Rincon, Host of CNN's Conclusiones
When El Universal spoke to CNN Spanish-language host Fernando del Rincon, he had some surprisingly candid comments on the situation in the country, warning people 'not to believe falsehoods' and suggesting that the Maduro government is close-minded and undemocratic.
Fernando
del Rincon, born in Morelos, Mexico in 1969, covers the situation in Venezuela
in his daily program Conclusiones
(CNN Spanish, 10:30 pm EST). Since
the student protests began in San Cristobal last week up to the court hearing
for Leopoldo
Lopez on Feb. 19, the Mexican journalist has sought to provide space for both
sides of today's ideological divide.
Students
who participated in the protests, Elias Jaua, Maria Corina Machado, Roy Chaderton and
LilianTintori, all
appeared on the international chain. Del Rincon isn't concerned about rumors that
the channel may be excluded by the state of Venezuela (as was already done in
the case of Colombia's NTN24 on
February 12). "I'm at peace with it, because we are providing balances reporting.
We are working with trusted sources and verified facts," said the social
communicator, who has worked for the U.S.-based broadcaster since 2010.
EL UNIVERSAL: Is it possible
to maintain balance in regard to the independent press when the state has such
a communication advantage?
FERNANDO DEL
RINCON:
I don't think one should take a position. Yes - you must show some balance by helping
the weaker side in terms of broadcasting. When one side has 20 programs for
disseminating information and the other has only one, an attempt must be made to
compensate in order to offer a balance of information. The disadvantaged party
needs to attract - to seek out its own programming. That is the context lived under
in Venezuela, and within that context, reporters must work to compensate for such
inequality.
The Internet is
one of the communication alternatives in a nation where private or independent
media have less and less freedom. And that, according to Fernando del Rincon, should
be accessible to all.
FERNANDO DEL
RINCON:
It's a fact that networks are a form of communication. The printed press media has
abandoned paper and turned to the Web in order to disseminate news. Press
conferences are conducted live over the Internet ... and students also report
through various applications. If you lack other means, you have to look for new
windows: Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The point is to
be rigorous - and not believe falsehoods devised only to trigger a reaction.
EL UNIVERSAL: Venezuelan
journalists have quit their jobs due to censorship or the self-censorship
imposed on them. What should a communicator do in cases like this? Suggest a position?
Defend his point? Step aside?
FERNANDO DEL
RINCON:
I am an adversary of censorship. I have never worked at a company that censored
me. As a journalist, I couldn't live under censorship or under any imposed editorial
line. I would prefer not to pursue my profession than to work under conditions
that prevent me from expressing myself, ... In Venezuela today, there is
censorship. That isn't something I think, it's something I see. Anyone can see
it.
Fernando del
Rincon thinks there is a lot of confusion in the country today - on both sides.
What began as a protest against insecurity became political, and with arrest of
Leopoldo
Lopez,
the students got off track.
FERNANDO DEL
RINCON:
What's missing on both sides is a search for dialogue. There will come a time when
they will have to talk and hold a dialogue. If they want this to end well, there
must be dialogue. Otherwise there will be no end to this - it will continue.
... Right now, I see that the table is
set for genuine dialogue, but one of the guests is moving further away from the
door than it is today. The other possibility is what we are seeing today: there
is death, there is violence."
EL UNIVERSAL: Several days
ago, you met with Chavista leaders (government
leaders). You held discussions with them. What image remains for you?
FERNANDO DEL
RINCON:
The correct answer is that they see what they want to see. The picture I have
is of a very closed group. There is no room for those who don't follow their
script - and that is their project for the nation. Democracies persuade - not
force. There you have the difference: they want the project they present to be
an obligation. Chavismo convinces before elections,
and then it forgets.
EL UNIVERSAL: And the
opposition leaders? What do you think?
FERNANDO DEL
RINCON:
Opposition leaders have fallen into repetitive rhetoric, so when someone like Leopoldo Lopez arrives with a different way of speaking -
it attracts attention. You have to be open to other methods of communicating.
You must restate and renew in order to make everyone understand your message.
EL UNIVERSAL: And are the protests
a form of expression? Do you think they will lead anywhere?
FERNANDO DEL
RINCON:
They are already accomplishing something. They have provoked an international
reaction. The eyes of the world are on Venezuela. If there is something more they
are meant to achieve, I don't know. If there is a meeting point and dialogue,
maybe so. If not, there will be larger confrontations.
