Final Assessment (Nicaragua and Latin America)

Latin America itself is multi-faceted in its politics, geography and culture. However, countries like Argentina, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela share similar hurdles when dealing with media ownership, technology and the censorship that often tags along. Globalization also expands the playing field, by adding more media technologies, and making available more business formats to countries that would not have been able to acquire their own. Globalization can mold an unpromising media sector into a media sensation.

A successful Latin American country has, or has had, a decent relationship with the United States. Cuba’s history of dictatorships/regimes and relationships with enemies of the United States has led to their current position of economic and political hardship. Their media consists of only government-owned stations. And, their country is surrounded by a U.S. led embargo, slicing Cuba’s potential in the global market place completely. President Chavez of Venezuela and the U.S. rarely get along, especially on narcotic trafficking policies. However, the U.S. remains one of Venezuela’s biggest trading partners. So, even though the political stability between the two is iffy at best, the economic ties are aiding Venezuela’s growth.

Nicaragua, on the other hand, partly backed the U.S., and partly did not, which resulted in civil wars. The U.S. supported a rebel group, the Contras, under President Reagan to promote democracy/western values by battling the Sandinistas (FSLN) for control of the country. According to the article, U.S. Intervention in Nicaragua by Edmundo Garcia, the U.S. had other motives besides stopping the spread of communism, such as its geo-political, imperial and economic interests in the Caribbean Basin. And, it declares that the United States was ultimately flawed in its tactics, and thereby lost grasp of its own ‘fundamental principle’ –the right of the people to self-determination. The result from the previous division can be seen in modern day Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, dampened with corruption and inability to truly develop in any one direction.

The U.S. had a better relationship with Argentina, investing in their financial, manufacturing and information sectors and agreeing on several strategic interests like counterterrorism, narcotics and pro-stability/peace initiatives. Today, Argentina remains one of the top Latin American countries on a political and economic scale. There are also many fortune 500 companies located there.

Furthermore, because of globalization, many foreign media outlets have an influence or a market in other countries, especially in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Argentina. Cuba’s media remains government-controlled for the most part, besides some broadcasting of Telenovelas within the country. Telenovelas, as a whole, has a strong cultural impact upon Latin America with its soap operas. Television and movies like those from Hollywood also have an influence on its viewers, influencing how they perceive the world around them, and allowing for possible induction from another culture.

Nicaragua is influenced by an array of media powerhouses. Univision broadcasts its news network, allowing Nicaraguan viewers to see and learn about Hispanic populations in the U.S. According to the article, “Viewing America: A Qualitative Analysis Citizens Perceive U.S. Lifestyles and How U.S. Television Programming Influences Those Perceptions” By Jorge Aguilar, in Nicaragua, 60 percent of the programming on national networks is from Mexico and 15 percent is from the United States. American networks, like TNT, TBS, E! Entertainment, HBO and even Sony, are dubbed or given subtitles and shown in Nicaragua. Even though it is available, it requires cable and only 4 percent has it due to its high costs. As well, it can be argued that the United States undermines local cultures and culturally homogenizes the foreign market through the spreading of their media (Aguilar).

Censorship has also had its mark upon Latin American countries. The Nicaraguan constitution provides that "Nicaraguans have the right freely to express their ideas in public or in private, individually or collectively, verbally, in writing or by any other means." The Somoza’s regularly censored the opposition newspaper, La Prensa. During the 1970s, censorship was increasingly used to control the press. Sandinistas also used censorship to block stories against them from being published. However, during the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were very few incidences of outright censorship in Nicaragua.

The more globally connected the world gets, the more watchdogs emerge, and less censorship is able to occur. Latin America, as a whole, is beginning to work together and become a powerful force in the world, as shown from the Ibero-American summit. The Region is beginning to show signs that it may be the next Europe in years to come.

My Personal Contribution to the final presentation:
Put together and made the entire PowerPoint (fonts and format got changed in the class, looks way better on my laptop). Put together Nicaraguan section for class handout. Researched all about Nicaragua and used information to make the PowerPoint slides for my country as well.

Works Cited:

Argentina:
1. Press Reference:
Link: http://www.pressreference.com/A-Be/Argentina.html
2. CIA Fact book:
Link: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ar.html

Cuba:
1. Press Reference:
Link: http://www.pressreference.com/Co-Fa/Cuba.html#ixzz16k9gAPJZ
2. CIA Fact book:
Link: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/cu.html

Nicaragua:
1. Press Reference:
Link: http://www.pressreference.com/Ma-No/Nicaragua.html
2. CIA Fact book:
Link: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nu.html
3. Aguilar, Jorge A. “Viewing America: A Qualitative Analysis on How Nicaraguan Citizens Perceive U.S. Lifestyle and How U.S, Television Programming Influences Those Perspective”. 2005.
Link: http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0010825/aguilar_j.pdf

Venezuela:
1. Press Reference:
Link: http://www.pressreference.com/Uz-Z/Venezuela.html
2. CIA Fact book:
Link: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ve.html#top

Other Citations:
Paxman, Andrew. “The Global 50”. SPECIAL REPORT: Variety 92nd Anniversary Issue; Pg. 45

"Latino soaps go global. " Television Business International 1 Jan. 2004: ProQuest Central, ProQuest. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.
Link: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=813923411&sid=17&Fmt=3&clientId=9269&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Burnett, Kate, and Pablo Conde. "Media's Feared and Revered - Kate Burnett and Pablo Conde Profile Four of the Biggest and most Powerful Media Owners." Campaign March 21 2003: 25. Print.

Presentation Journal: Western Europe (France, Spain and Italy)

France, Spain and Italy, in Western Europe, are considered to be highly developed countries. The majority of their citizens are Catholic, and their governments follow the rules of democracy. The media has always had close ties with government, as well as a strong influence upon political spheres. All the countries in Western Europe seem to have evolved together. For example, analog television is now replaced by digital television. The switch started in Berlin 2003, moved to the Netherlands in 2006; and today, digital television is available in every country in Western Europe. It also is hard to impose certain quotas or restrictions because each country is interconnected with, and dependent upon, the others. France tried a film quota, but various rights, regulations, the multi-party system and media interfered. It is extremely difficult for an individual country to maintain ‘autonomy.’ The word 'autonomy' does not make sense anymore, especially in Western Europe, where it seems that the sovereignty lies not within one particular country but more within one region.

Presentation Journal: The Rest of the World (Nigeria, Afghanistan and Togo)

Nigeria, Afghanistan and Togo all seem to have a common theme of poverty and corruption, perhaps with a few glimmers of hope. Nigeria, which has a religious struggle with the population divided 50-50 between Christianity and Islam, uses media, such as radio, to defame the other faith. Their technology is also very unreliable and slow. Their film industry is legitimized through video piracy and corruption. In Togo, the media was used as a tool by the dictatorship, making conflict between the locals and the elites. Afghanistan is a complete mess from the U.S. invasion and Taliban occupancy. During the Taliban rule, a lot of the media was banned, including the broadcast of film, television, music, video and printed imagery. They could only broadcast religious sermons. State radio has always been considered untrustworthy, so people looked outside their country for news from media, like the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). Just like Nigeria, Afghanistan’s technology is unreliable and money often gets tied up or ‘lost’ through corruption in government or outside influence.

Presentation Journal: East Asia

The countries of East Asia (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) seem to have been influenced by the United States, even though, overtime, they became more independent. In addition, these countries are at the forefront of technology. But, with rapid evolution, as well as widespread and state of the art technology, these governments do not always know how to keep up with advancements, or make policies accordingly. Originally, Japan was dependent on the U.S. for their media; but eventually, they realized their hidden potential as a primary exporter of ‘animation, anime, to even game show formats.’ South Korea was influenced by CBS, the first, privately-owned broadcasting station that was financially supported by the United States. Both Korea and Taiwan had influential television shows. The Korean Wave and the Taiwanese-style Telenovelas created influential pop stars and interest for their countries' particular cultures by indirectly influencing their viewers to 'sightsee.' The media also twisted culture: in Japan, there is a cellphone culture, and in South Korea, a gaming addiction. With their worlds going more electronic each day, the governments are struggling to adapt to the rapid change. However, over time, they are finding ways to regulate the technology that has induced unhealthy habits and illegal actions.

Presentation Journal: Europe's Doorstep (Turkey and Israel)

It seems that both Turkey and Israel want to control their borders by deciding which media they allow to influence their nations. However, at times, the result is that they end up constraining the rights of their citizens through censorship. Both nations also have conflicting minority groups they must deal with. To maintain its nationalistic sense in a global world, Turkey sometimes has to have a heavy hand with its citizens, especially with the Kurds, who are considered to be anti-nationalistic. The example of YouTube being blocked for a while in Turkey, despite its popularity, shows how there is a rift between the government and its people. Israel’s culture, which is 75 percent Jews and 25 percent Arabs, is both mixed and conflicted. The government controls the media to unify the culture, which, once again, reminds us that the minority often gets pushed aside in favor of the majority. The United States also seems to have a strong influence on Israeli media, and perhaps on the media of neighboring Arab countries as well.

Presentation Journal: South East Asia

Intense media censorship is definitely the trend in South East Asia, more specifically Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. In Singapore, corporations own all media outlets and maintain economic ties to the government, allowing governmental influence. The material is also censored to discourage political dissent and protect the multi-national public. Media is often banned if it goes against the government's strict laws. Journalists often leave the country to report elsewhere. In Malaysia, media is controlled and operated by the government, and some private corporations, both working closely together. Any material that threatens the government, or one of the ethnic groups, is banned or censored. The government is also known to block foreign media in the pursuit of becoming a more independent, information technology leader. Vietnam’s media is owned by the government; all are subject to censorship, especially if the material is political and against the government in any way. The Internet is the most regulated, with bloggers and social media closely monitored. Foreign films are often censored. Many argue these nations should focus more on human rights and less on censorship and control.

Presentation Journal: Eastern Europe

Countries in Eastern Europe (more specifically: Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Moldova) appear to have some freedom of expression in their media, but they are hindered by forms of censorship that seem to loosen up a little each day. In Poland, journalism is viewed as very prestigious, with the primary outlet being the newspaper; the public, as a whole, is heavily involved and interested in the news. The Czech Republic is extremely advanced in technology compared to most countries in Eastern Europe. Their newspapers seem to contain more tabloid fodder than serious news to draw readers. The Czech Republic is also influenced by outside investors, like Germany and Switzerland, who own national and regional newspapers. Russia is a giant country, which makes it difficult for the media to reach all of the cities and towns. Many Russian citizens were illiterate, so the government used the media to spread propaganda to the masses and gain influence. But, the new leader, President Medvedev, is focusing on modernizing the country and encouraging more freedom. And lastly, one of the poorer nations, Moldova, has a lot of indirect censorship; journalists are widely censored by the government. Basically, Moldova has been held back from developing properly due to lack of money, poor management, and political and economic pressures.

Group Research Collaboration: Media Flows and Expansion of Telecommunications Corporations beyond the Latin America Region

As South American countries begin to invest global, privately owned conglomerates have been at the forefront of economic growth. In 1997, Argentina’s cable television network became so large it had to restructure its payment system to be able to continue offering over 65 channels (Paxman). One of the driving forces of this change was Grupo Clarin’s move towards becoming a global company. Grupo Clarin is a privately owned conglomerate of various media outputs with most of its revenue coming from its television shows. Its cable subsidiary is Latin America’s largest; single multiple system operators with 1.3 million subscribers. Historically, Clarin has avoided overseas partnerships for years and preferred supporting local alliances. However, in 1997 Clarin joined other mega telenovela exporters Televisa, Venevision and RCTV in opening a sales office in Miami (Paxman).

Furthermore, the telenovela has become Latin America’s most sought after international media export with investors from Asia to Europe taking note of its growing popularity. One particular example of its international significance is seen through the Colombian-produced telenovela Betty la Fea. The author of "Latino soaps go global" states, “When India's Sony Entertainment Television (SET) adapted the popular Colombian telenovela, Betty la Fea into its own Hindi language version, titled “Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin”, ratings for the timeslot increased over 200%”. Noticing similar trends in both Latin America and in the U.S. on the Telemundo network, CEO of the Venevision channel in Venezuela points to its success stating, "Telenovelas have been able to grow outside their core markets because they are extremely effective for programmers in guaranteeing consistent numbers for an extended period of time". With such profitable international markets and relatively easy programming, La
tin America has become a major player in exporting locally produced media products.

In Venezuela, the impeding government crisis can be one of the reasons Grupo Cisneros has decided to take their investments global. Grupo Cisneros has been making its moves away from Venezuela and Venevision into satellite phone service and the world of telecommunications. In addition to this, pay-tv ventures that include partnerships with companies like Direct TV, Hearst, and Playboy entertainment can be considered the extension of the South American media empire (Burnett and Conde, 25).

In Nicaragua, television users are exposed to ‘transnational level programming’ with 60% from Mexico and 15% from the United States. The rest comes from neighboring Latin American countries, providing media such as telenovelas and sports on ‘transnational-global level’ (Aguilar, 2005). In addition, programming such as “CNN,” Hollywood movies, and other foreign media can also be viewed in Nicaragua. Recently, Latin American producers and distributors have prepared arrangements with U.S. satellite and cable services to offer and have available more channels and content. Furthermore, U.S. companies such as TNT and HBO have modified their shows to be more compatible with Latin America. However, even though 93% of Nicaraguan homes have a television, only 4% have cable due to the expense (Aguilar). This lack of media technology has a negative effect on foreign countries trying to influence or gain profit through television within the country.

Articles:

Paxman, Andrew. “The Global 50”. SPECIAL REPORT: Variety 92nd Anniversary Issue; Pg. 45

"Latino soaps go global. " Television Business International 1 Jan. 2004: ProQuest Central, ProQuest. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.
Link: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=813923411&sid=17&Fmt=3&clientId=9269&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Burnett, Kate, and Pablo Conde. "Media's Feared and Revered - Kate Burnett and Pablo Conde Profile Four of the Biggest and most Powerful Media Owners." Campaign March 21 2003: 25. Print.

Aguilar, Jorge A. “Viewing America: A Qualitative Analysis on How Nicaraguan Citizens Perceive U.S. Lifestyle and How U.S, Television Programming Influences Those Perspective”. 2005.
Link: http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0010825/aguilar_j.pdf

Linking with the Group (Latin America)

Propaganda campaigns have transformed many countries over the decades on both local and global scales. In particular, the Latin American countries of Venezuela, Argentina and Nicaragua, as well as the Caribbean country of Cuba, have been influenced by Western media. In Venezuela, the media is mainly owned by family businesses, such as Grupo Cisneros (Venevision). Their president, Hugo Chavez, showed how media can be used as a dangerous weapon. He directed attacks against journalists and freedom of expression when the media went against his policies. In other scenarios, he used television media to gain popularity. Latin America, as a whole, adapted its media from the West, received foreign investments, and even telecommunication technology. All of these had a huge impact on their media development.

Cuba serves as an example of the Soviet Presence in Socialist countries within Latin nations. The country had poor relations with the United States, which resulted in an embargo. Under President John F. Kennedy, the United States had an anti-Fidel Castro propaganda campaign; when attempts failed to remove him from power, they developed media to influence the Image of Cuba (Radio Marti and TV Marti). Despite all U.S. efforts, Cuba still has a tight grip on its citizens and strong nationalism. The country is still against ideas of democracy and capitalism. Telenovelas remains their only non-state controlled media.

When the United States, or the local Latin American country, didn’t have much media influence on a region, Europe filled the gap. Argentina was involved with a British Propaganda campaign trying to persuade the U.S. to combat Germany in WWII, by bullying and bribing Latin American media to broadcast their messages. The United States used paper media to compete against Europe’s lead in international news. Argentina was highly-ranked for having access to the Internet, and half of Argentina’s households had cable before 2000. Television was viewed as having a prominent influence over the people of Argentina. They had access to a plethora of American networks, including American advertisements, which served as a technique to westernize Latin America.

Nicaragua, a third world country with high illiteracy and low college enrollment rates, makes media a main source of education, knowledge and manipulation, at least to the poorer and less educated crowd. Under President Ronald Reagan, the United States used the media (legally and illegally), along with the Marines and CIA, to promote its agenda of democracy and anti-communist views. The U.S. also supported different sides through funding or armaments, as shown through Contras and Sandinistas. There was also a trend in the United States’ influence: it would start off strong and, after a while, it would weaken. Eventually, the media influence of Europe and other local Latin American countries would emerge as more prominent than that of the United States. The West started the media boom; Latin and Central America have not been able to reap the full benefits of Globalization. However, they are starting to benefit through privatization and advancements in telecommunications, independence and media outlets of their own.

Nicaragua/Central America Literature Review

The Search

The quest for academic articles revolved around a couple of central themes pertaining to Nicaragua and Central America. The information I was seeking focused on the role and impact of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and more generally, covert and military communication strategies that occurred within Nicaragua and its neighboring countries. And furthermore, the role of religion in the country and its politics, more particularly, foreign missionaries who acted as a news source and influence upon the inhabitants. First, I tried using the Global Media and Communications sage journal database. However, when Nicaragua was typed in the search bar, very few results came up, and the results focused more on Latin America as a whole. The next attempt was the LexisNexis Academic database, but it gave similar results. Perhaps, I was performing the search incorrectly. But regardless, my third database was Google Scholar where I searched Nicaragua and the CIA, and multiple results popped up. After scanning a dozen articles, I came across a great article that described the CIA’s involvement in Nicaragua, titled “U.S. Intervention in Nicaragua.” And, I followed a similar process with the same database, Google Scholar, to find an article based on the role of religion/missionaries in Nicaragua and its political sphere, titled “Religious Dialogue in the Nicaraguan Revolution.” Google Scholar turned out to be the most helpful out of the three databases that I tried.


Citations

Garcia, Edmundo. "US Intervention in Nicaragua." Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies 1.1 (1985): 1-8. Web. 14 Oct 2010.

http://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/kasarinlan/article/viewArticle/461

Reed, Jean-Pierre. "Religious Dialogue in the Nicaraguan Revolution." Politics and Religion (2008): 1-22. Web. 14 Oct 2010.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=1935924

Summary of Articles

The article U.S. Intervention in Nicaragua by Edmundo Garcia focuses on the history of the role played by the United States in Central America and Nicaragua, including the CIA and its desires for national security. Furthermore, it mentions the United States’ re-control over its ‘backyard,’ which resulted in additional violence, especially during the Cold War, and perpetually weakened Nicaragua and its government. It goes into further depth about the U.S. arming of the Contras and the U.S. Marines’ occupancy of the country and its Central American neighbors, which continually disrupted Nicaragua’s journey for ‘authentic’ democracy and peace. The article also mentions the other side – the Sandinistas. It states that the U.S. had other motives besides stopping the spread of communism, such as its geo-political, imperial and economic interests in the Caribbean Basin. And, it declares that the United States was ultimately flawed in its tactics, and thereby lost grasp of its own ‘fundamental principle’ –the right of the people to self-determination.

The article Religious Dialogue in the Nicaraguan Revolution by Jean-Pierre Reed also focuses on Nicaragua’s history, especially during its revolution. But, this time, it is in the light of religion and the texts and dialogues that were used in ‘revolutionary outlooks’ and discourse. Dialogue can be viewed as a ‘social vehicle’ in which reality is constructed and maintained to reinforce a person’s perspective towards a cause, unite the poor and cause people to question corruption and governmental exploitation. In this case, the dialogue uses Christian beliefs to denounce the injustices of the Somoza Regime and to stand up against hegemony. It also mentions Nicaraguan Christians and missionaries who joined the ranks in the Nicaraguan struggle and helped in the ‘revolutionary mobilization that led to the other throw of the Somoza regime.’ The prime motivators were political factors and socio-structural conditions. Some of the influential Christians even became governmental officials and activists following the overthrow. Conventional uses of religion were made irrelevant in the shadow of revolutionary crisis. Therefore, religion was used as a tool to change a person’s stance on an issue and to convince the people of Nicaragua to be involved in the revolution and take action against dictatorships. After all, a Christian’s duty consists of ‘resisting false beliefs, being brave, occupying factories, churches, and universities, and confronting false authority.’