Venezuela: Press and governance in the Andean countries

The roundtable on Press and governance in the Andean countries held in Caracas was attended by 20 journalists and academics from the media of the Andean subregion. The event was organized jointly by CAF and the Institute for Press and Society, IPYS, Venezuelan chapter. For a day and a half, the participants debated the role of the media in democratic strengthening and building governance agreements.

The Andean democracies are living – or have lived – through situations in which the democratic system is being put to the test. In contexts like these, governance becomes a crucial issue for debate, in which the media can have a positive impact, with coverage and perspective that underscore the need to strengthen democratic governments.

The IPYS was founded in 1993 in Lima, Peru, to defend and promote freedom of the press and expression in the framework of human rights, and to strengthen the role of the media in the building of a democratic state in Peru and the other countries of the Andean region. Under that mandate, IPYS Venezuela was formed in May 2002, with the mission of promoting freedom of the press and independent journalism as bulwarks of democratic life in Venezuela.