TV-Propaganda, in the national strike in Venezuela: Quo vadis?

Abstract

This work focuses on the analysis of the propaganda broadcast on television channels during the civic strike of December 2002 and January 2003 in Venezuela. During this period, a battle took place in the social communication media, one of the mainstays of which was the so-called propaganda spots, carried out by both opposition and government sectors, through private channels and the official channel. Based on the theory of political propaganda, the author carried out an investigation that includes the recording of approximately 500 messages, his evaluation by the Public Opinion II course and the analysis of the content of the spots. Among the conclusions, we can highlight the presence of several strategies, not always well coordinated, the use of various propaganda procedures and techniques, the counterproductive oversaturation caused and how some of the best evaluated spots focused on the need for peace and harmony between the Venezuelans. It is also noteworthy that, if we generalize the opinion of the students, the propaganda reinforced but did not change opinions, since the anti-government students tended to better evaluate the wedges of that sign and the same did the pro-government students.