The reduction of the capacities of the media in Venezuela due to repression, the exile of journalists and the decrease in their financing sources is the main conclusion of the recent report by the Venezuelan NGO Peace Laboratory.
The document, titled Freedom of expression, media and communicators 2025. Impact of the closure of civic space on the right to information in Venezuelareports that after the swearing-in of Nicolás Maduro as president, on January 10, The deterioration of journalism in Venezuela increased.
92% of those surveyed thought that the risks to the practice of journalism increased during 2025.
Among the main findings is the profound reduction in the capacity of the Venezuelan media due to the decrease in their financing sources.
Due “to the worsening of the conflict” politically, the media had to abandon the sustainability model based on advertising to move to one based on the reception of international cooperation.
The redirection of funds from international agencies, which occurred during 2025, has had the consequence that 91% were forced to reduce the activities of the medium to a minimum, with staff reduction ranging between 50% and 85%.
Migrate, use of digital platforms and other forms of journalistic resilience
In the face of repression and lack of resources, the media have developed resilience strategies such as migration to digital platforms, diversification of formats and greater collaboration between media, remote work, anonymity of sources and ethical and editorial reorganization.
“These adaptations reflect resistance, but also a forced response to persecution”says the report.
77% of the media in the country no longer have the capacity to carry out investigative work and 50% have been forced to stop reporting, while 33% have stopped carrying out field coverage and 58% have abandoned live broadcasts.
Journalists, including media directors, have had to leave the country due to the situation of persecution.
Attacks and risks faced by journalists in Venezuela
42% of the media consider that they have personnel at risk.
Their perception of the most likely attacks against the practice of journalism include:
- Suspension of passports of journalists (91%)
- Fines (83%)
- Arbitrary arrests (83%)
- Forced disappearances (75%)
- Detention of family members (75%).
Journalists and media workers are very aware the arbitrary detention of 20 of his colleagues today.
The most sensitive topics of journalistic coverage, according to those interviewed, are: human rights violations (91%), acts of corruption by government officials (91%), sanctions against Venezuela (58%) and international cooperation (50%).
The state institutions that they perceive as being at greatest risk are: Ministry of the Interior and Justice, headed by Diosdado Cabello (91%), General Division of Military Counterintelligence (66%), Bolivarian Intelligence Service (58%) and Public Ministry (50%).
The three officials who consider the highest risk for their work are Diosdado Cabello (100%), Alexander Granko (75%) and Alexis Rodríguez Cabello (66%).
The report concludes that there is a factual suspension of the right to freedom of expression and information; the consolidation of a pattern of political persecution against journalists, as well as a state institutional environment that has become an important risk factor.
Another conclusion of the report is that “There is an expansion of the repressive circle towards personal and social environments and the normalization of risk and self-censorship as a survival mechanism.”
The document He assures that an adaptive reconfiguration process has been developed “to continue carrying out independent journalism work.”
*The Grupo de Diarios América (GDA), to which El Nacional belongs, is a network of leading media outlets founded in 1991, which promotes democratic values, the independent press and freedom of expression in Latin America through quality journalism for our audiences.
