Grassroots Latin American Media to Fight 'Media Terrorism'

Representatives from dozens of grassroots alternative media outlets called for a concerted effort to counter the “media terrorism” practiced by the large, private media outlets in the hemisphere in order to defend social gains made over the past decade throughout Latin America.

Nearly 100 journalists, representing over 80 organizations from throughout the region, gathered in Caracas, Venezuela at the end of February for the Continental Meeting of Communication of ALBA Social Movements, where they discussed the role of grassroots media in light of a changing political landscape.

The wave of progressive governments in Latin America elected over the past decade have suffered a number of electoral defeats, including the election of a right-wing government in Argentina, the opposition electoral victory in the Venezuela's National Assembly, and the recent referendum result in Bolivia that prevents President Evo Morales from seeking re-election.

ANALYSIS: Rumors of the Pink Tide's Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

According to participants at the meeting, private media throughout the region and beyond have used these losses as a means to change the narrative regarding the progressive and revolutionary governments in Latin America. As an example, Grupo Clarin, a conglomerate in Argentina, who owns Cablevision, has just recently dropped teleSUR from its basic cable package.

“At this juncture, from a communication point of view, the large information transnational companies are imposing media terrorism, a single discourse, and the fomenting of fear,” read the final declaration released Monday.

“In the face of this, we must integrate more, foster unity of the popular camp, to train ourselves, multiply our capabilities, think and manage an articulated communication that can challenge for control of spaces, speeches, and generate matrices of opinion that counteract the attacks of the right,” the declaration added.

In addition, these electoral setbacks constitute a new challenge for grassroots outlets who struggle to propagate the voices of social movements.

“We reaffirm our commitment to a counter-hegemonic communication that is committed to popular struggles and the integration of our peoples. Also we reflect on the need to develop communicative strategies that can achieve greater impact and effectiveness in light of the complex situation affecting the region,” concluded the final declaration.