The Minister of Communication and Information, Miguel Ángel Pérez Pirela, announced on his Telegram channel the death of journalist Walter Martínez, who for years stood out for his accurate analysis of international politics.
Pirela announced the death of the long-time communicator with these words: “He has left our beloved, contaminated and only spacecraft, Walter Martínez,” and gave a description of the communicator and his work.
«Walter consolidated a unique style, based on academic rigor and an exceptional ability to decipher global geopolitics. Through his work, he brought distant realities closer to Venezuelan homes, allowing the audience to understand events “in full development” with a depth uncommon on conventional television,” he said.
Pirela added that “his legacy remains in his commitment to the truth and in the constant defense of critical thinking; “He always maintained a firm stance in favor of the sovereignty of the people, becoming an ethical reference for new generations of communicators.”
He expressed on behalf of the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, and the Bolivarian Government: «Our most sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. “We honor his memory, his discipline and the lucidity that characterized each of his interventions.”
“Have the camera, dear Walter,” concluded the head of Communication and Information.
Journalistic career
Walter Martínez was born in Montevideo (Uruguay) on April 6, 1941. He was host for years, and in various media, of the analysis program Dossier, where he developed an analytical style that opened doors for similar programs on Venezuelan television. Martínez served for 25 years as a correspondent at the United Nations (UN).
He arrived in Venezuela in 1969, where he settled and became nationalized. He was a war correspondent in Iraq, Iran, El Salvador and Lebanon (where he was the first Latin American journalist on that war front). He also covered conflicts in Nicaragua, the US invasion of Panama, coups in Bolivia, NATO maneuvers during the Cold War and operations on nuclear aircraft carriers.
Awards received
Walter Martínez won nine national journalism awards in Venezuela: six individual and three team awards. He also received the Simón Bolívar Unique Prize for Journalism in 2016. He was awarded the Félix Elmuza Distinction, a recognition granted by the Union of Journalists of Cuba.
Among the personalities who were interviewed by Martínez are Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, Yasser Arafat (leader of the PLO) and Muammar Gaddafi, among others.
Martínez’s style was unique in Venezuelan television, since it was not limited solely to geopolitical analysis, but also integrated technical-tactical aspects on the weapons used and logistics in conflicts.
