Wikipedia:WikiProject Venezuela/Reliable and unreliable sources

News reporting in Venezuela is contentious, with various sources being reported by people of differing political views to be biased, manipulative, or outright lying. By consensus across the Wikipedia community, state-operated sources of Venezuela, such as Telesur, are unreliable. Some pro-opposition outlets have also been recognized as sensationalized sources, so their use should be properly attributed. Independent sources operating in the country and in neighboring nations, several using citizen journalism, are seen as more reliable for Venezuela-specific reports.

Venezuela was listed in the 2015 Press Freedom Index as 137th out of 180 countries,[a] and its position has worsened since: in 2021 Venezuela was listed as 148 out of 180.[b] and in 2023 it was listed in the 159th place, with its situation devolving from "difficult situation" to "very difficult situation" level.[1] According to media protection organizations, Venezuelans "have been forced to find alternatives as newspapers and broadcasters struggle with state efforts to control coverage", with a growing trend of Venezuelans using online news media to bypass government censors.[2] Various interpretations of laws, including the Law on Social Responsibility on Radio and Television and the Law against Hatred, have allowed for media outlets to be closed or banned for speaking against the government or similar actions said to be non-peaceful. For political censorship in 2019, see the article on Censorship and media control during the Venezuelan presidential crisis.

Beyond limited press freedom in Venezuela, sources may need to be more heavily vetted because of the conflicting government tensions. In an article on the United States, for example, different reliable sources with noticeable political opinions can still be relied upon to give the same news; using only one or the other to source that piece of news on Wikipedia is typically not an issue. Regarding Venezuela, the disputed President Nicolás Maduro has actually criticized Wikipedia about the article on his opponent Juan Guaidó[c] during a period of edit wars in January 2019, when Wikipedia was blocked in the country for over a week, over technicalities of constitution and presidency as debated by the Venezuelan media. The different reliable sources' political opinions had found a time to shine through because of the unique situation: "facts" were unclear and "truth" depended largely on partisanship.

By reliability

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Generally reliable sources

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Per a talkpage discussion and proposal within the WikiProject,1 the following sources — with their associated advice — are seen as generally reliable for news regarding Venezuela, specifically news that is not available from mainstream Western media and press associations. The Venezuelan branches of Reuters, the AFP and the AP are also seen as reliable. The Venezuela WikiProject has not discussed reliability of other sources in relation to the topic.

Name Description External link
Alianza Rebelde Investiga (Spanish: Rebel Alliance Investigates) Journalist coalition whose main members are El Pitazo, Tal Cual and Runrunes. Has published several joint investigations. [6]
Al Navío Relatively recent news outlet [7]
Armando.Info Investigative journalist site that focuses on corruption investigations. Partner of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that has collaborated with the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers investigations, among others.

In 2023, they received the Global Shining Light Award for an investigation about illegal mining operations in Venezuela.[3]

[8]
Crónicas del Tártaro Focused mostly on crime stories. Had the format of a blog, but also had a long-standing trajectory over the years and a reputation for reliability. Its main page is defunct as of 2023, meaning that its content might need to be accessed through a web archive. [9]
Contrapunto [10]
Correo del Caroní [11]
Crónica Uno [12]
Efecto Cocuyo Founded in 2015 by independent female journalists who have all been threatened by the Bolivarian government.[4][5][6][7] Multiple daily updates to their site ranging from national to local coverage. Its director, Luz Mely Reyes, has won a press freedom award and was one of the "Guardians" profiled as TIME Person of the Year 2018[8] while in 2018, the outlet received a Gabriel García Márquez Journalism Award.[9] [13]
El Carabobeño Regional newspaper that as significant coverage of national topics as well [14]
El Cooperante Founded in 2009 [15]
El Diario Has a fact checking section called Chequealo [16]
El Estímulo Outlet with a wide range of news coverage, but also articles regarding analyses, food, sex and opinion articles [17]
La Gran Aldea Focused in analysis. Similar to Prodavinci, albeit more recent [18]
El Impulso Recognized as the oldest newspaper in Venezuela, it is a regional publication serving the Lara state founded by the Carmona family. Due to supply constraints, it has ceased physical production.[10] [19]
El Nacional Founded in 1943, El Nacional has historically been one of the main newspapers in Venezuela, along with its competitor El Universal (see entry below). [11][12][7]

Its online version might be more useful currently as a news aggregator. In 2022 El Nacional republished an article from Breitbart ([20]), which is currently blacklisted from the English Wikipedia; its current editorial process can be taken with a grain of salt.

[21]
El Nuevo Herald Spanish-language sibling of Miami Herald, the publisher's main newspaper. Miami based newspaper that has good coverage of the diaspora in the area. [22]
El Pitazo It covers daily news but is more notable for its long form multimedia reports on the state of the nation; this may be helpful for statistics and analysis. It has been described as critical of the Venezuelan government.[13][4][7] Part of the Rebel Alliance (see entry above).

In 2019 El Pitazo won the Ortega y Gasset Award for Best Multimedia Coverage for its investigation "La generación del hambre"" (English: The generation of hunger) on infant starvation.[14] According to its director, this was the first time a Venezuelan outlet won the award.[15]

[23]
La Prensa de Lara Regional newspaper that provides coverage of national topics as well [24]
Miami Herald English-language sibling of El Nuevo Herald. [25]
Monitoreamos [26]
Prodavinci Provides analytical journalism by politicians, historians, and various other professionals; it also has quite a strict attitude against opinion pieces. In 2022 it was awarded with the King of Spain International Journalism Award [27]
RCR Radio Venezuela's oldest radio station, founded in 1930 and also known as Radio Caracas Radio. Useful for interview, although it routinely shared news through other means, including its website and Twitter account. In 2023 it was shutdown by the Nicolás Maduro administration. [28]
Radio Fe y Alegría [29]
Runrunes Founded by journalist Nelson Bocaranda in 2010, ever since it has published multiple investigations. Runrunes also started the Monitor de Víctimas project, whose goal is to document homicides in the country. Part of the Rebel Alliance (see entry above). [30]
Tal Cual Founded by journalist, former guerrilla and historical leftist Teodoro Petkoff.[16] and critical of the Venezuelan government.[17][18][7] Part of the Rebel Alliance (see entry above). [31]
VIVOplay Like VPItv (see entry below), VIVOplay focuses on correspondents, on-site reporting and videos. It provides coverage on live news, although care should be taken with primary sources. [32]
VPItv A largely video-based service (operating mostly on YouTube when it becomes inevitably blocked) it may not always be seen as reputable. [33]

Additional considerations apply/No consensus

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Name Extra information External link
Alberto News Registered in Venezuela, gives world news and local Venezuelan stories.
Can be opinionated and pro-opposition. It once published a news story claiming that 93 countries of the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of the "humanitarian intervention" in Venezuela back in 2018. This news was false. It appears that the story was taken down, but it was on the website for almost a year before being corrected. While this seems to be an exception and not the rule, it is suggested to take the links from this site with a grain of salt.
[34]
Aporrea Bolivarian government supportive but, in news (avoid the opinion pieces), it does not have the insert of opinion that other Maduro-supporting sources do, so is more reliable than those for plain information on Maduro-government-aligned people. Has had more editorial independence recently, so it shouldn't be completely ruled out of unbiased consideration. Care should also be taken for opinion pieces and user generated content. It was blocked by the government in early 2023.
See also: RfC: Aporrea
[35]
Caraota Digital Relatively new pro-opposition opinionated news website,[4][19][20] has been subject to state persecution.[21] [36]
Caracas Chronicles Technically a blog, but run by journalists and often has interviews with people in the news, all in English. Its newsletter, Arepita, received a 2023 Online Journalism Award in the Excellence in Newsletters category. [37]
Center for Economic and Policy Research Run by partisan members to Chávez and Maduro, its founder and director, Mark Weisbrot, is a noted supporter of Chávez. Not a news source, economic reports must be supported with secondary sources and use in-line attribution.

See also: RfC

[38]
Cinco8 Caracas Chronicles' Spanish-language sister blog. [39]
DolarToday Relevant source for US dollar/bolívar conversion rates. For other news, it is pro-opposition opinionated and yellow press. [40]
El Universal It is currently generally unreliable for politics. It was a recognized newspaper for almost a century, along with its main competitor El Nacional (see entry above). Under pressure from the Venezuelan government, in 2014 it was sold and changed its editorial perspective. Since 2014, the slant often softens or avoids issues that counter the government's perspective.[22][23][24][25][26] Earlier articles are seen as reliable sources. [41]
Globovisión Co-founded by Alberto Federico Ravell, new owners in 2013 changed its editorial line. In 2020, The New York Times reported that one of its owners maintains close connections with both the government and the opposition.[27] [42]
La Patilla Additional considerations apply: Per RfC result: "This source sometimes references unreliable sources without sufficient evidence of further editorial oversight. Avoid referencing articles that reference unreliable articles. Editors note a clear political bias, be extremely cautious in referencing coverage of politics. Some editors note that the bias may also affect choice of topics to cover. Avoid use in contentious topics, e.g. COVID-19. Avoid for contentious BLP claims. Beyond that, the source is considered marginally reliable as a news source covering the nation of Venezuela."

See also: RfC discussion

[43]
Maduradas Pro-opposition opinionated and yellow press. Should not be used as main source. [44]
Noticiero Digital Possibly useful as a supportive reference or a news aggregator, but apparently lacks editorial oversight and it's important to distinguish opinion pieces when using it [45]
Últimas Noticias It is currently generally unreliable for politics. Characterized by The Guardian in 2019 as a "pro-Maduro tabloid",[28] and also described as a tabloid in 1958 by Time magazine,[29] and in 2007 by The New York Times,[30][31] it is privately owned by British financier Robert Hanson and is run with a partisan editorial slant which, since 2014, has resulted in some objectively false stories.

It may be reliable for non-politics, particularly non-news, but also demonstrates Chavista nationalism and should be attributed in-line.

Before Hanson's purchase, it was a leading non-partisan news source in Venezuela that covered protests and campaigned for press freedom; earlier articles are seen as reliable sources.

[46]
Vereda Also known as "Wikihistoria del Arte Venezolano" (Spanish: Wikihistory of Venezuelan Art), it is unaffialited with the Wikimedia Foundation. Focused on the biographies of Venezuelan artists and related topics. Powered by MediaWiki, although it is supported by the University of the Andes and seems to have some editorial control over user generated content. Seems to be inactive as of 2023. [47]
Voice of America & Voz de América Voice of America is a broadcasting agency of the United States government. Note that there are two fields of coverage in Venezuela, one that is independently run, and the other which has its main presenter/host who neutrally explores Madurismo perspectives. [48]

Generally unreliable sources

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Name Extra information External link
El American Anti-government opinionated. Founded by former members of PanAm Post (see entry below). The site shares PanAm Post's flaws but are worse, publishing misleading content and mixing opinions with facts. [49]
Bolivarian Communication and Information System The following sources are part of the Venezuelan state media conglomerate of the Bolivarian Communication and Information System attached to the Ministry of Communication and Information. As such, they lack editorial independence, are considered generally unreliable when reporting about Venezuelan topics and should not be used as main sources: [50]
El Chigüire Bipolar Satirical news portal, similar to The Onion, and winner of the 2017 Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent. Should not be used as a reference of facts. Can be used as a primary source for itself, and a secondary source for public/popular reactions displayed in its work. [51]
CoinDesk From RfC 2: "there is near-unanimous consensus that CoinDesk is often undue and that mainstream sources should be preferred wherever possible", thus: "Coindesk should not be used for notability" and "it should generally be avoided as a source when possible".
See also: RfC 1 and RfC 2
[52]
Correo del Orinoco Perennial sources: Administered by the Bolivarian Communication and Information System. Considered generally unreliable when reporting about Venezuelan topics. [53]
El Fake Post Satirical news portal, more recent than El Chigüire Bipolar. [54]
Factores de Poder Anti-government talk show. Relies on speculation and hearsay instead of investigative journalism. [55]
La Hojilla Pro-government opinion television program, started in 2004 and discontinued in 2013. [56]
La Iguana Pro-government opinionated, it has published misleading or false content, as well as republishing content from deprecated sources.[32] [57]
PanAm Post Perennial sources: "There is consensus that the PanAm Post is generally unreliable for factual reporting. Most editors consider the publication biased or opinionated. Some editors note that the PanAm Post is used by other reliable sources and only believe that its opinion section should be avoided."

See also: RfC discussion 1 and RfC discussion 2.

[58]
Periodista Digital Anti-government opinionated, mixes opinion with facts. Its reliability needs to be further discussed, but it is questionable. [59]
Rebelion.org Rebelion.org incorporates information published in other outlets (including those with user generated content, such as Aporrea), which means that it is not the original source of the information. For this reason, Rebelión was blacklisted in the Spanish Wikipedia in June 2008. Rebelión is also significantly biased, including in its coverage of Venezuela. As such, it is an unreliable source.
See also: Magister Mathematicae/rebelión (Spanish briefing on the reasons of the blacklist in the Spanish Wikipedia) and Temas recurrentes#Inclusión de rebelion.org en la lista negra (FAQ regarding the blacklist)
[60]
Vheadline Several discussions in articles talk pages and across the years have determined that Vheadline has a pro-government bias and is unreliable.
See also: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
[61]
Venezuelanalysis Perennial sources: "generally unreliable for factual reporting"
See also: Very long discussion, Discussion in reference to Chávez article 1, Chávez discussion 2 and 2023 RFC.
[62]

Deprecated or blacklisted

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The following sources are a selection of sources often publishing about Venezuela and which have been blacklisted through RfC's. The below sources may be used to cite their opinions as a primary source; if used they must be attributed in-line.

Name Extra information External links
Alex Saab campaign After the detention of Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a massive campaign aimed at influencing public opinion was deployed. This includes the following websites, which has published spam, misleading and false content:
  • freealexsaab.org
  • FuserNews
  • Venezuela News (see entry below)
[63][64]
Breitbart Deprecated sources: "Due to persistent abuse, Breitbart.com is on the Wikipedia spam blacklist, and links must be whitelisted before they can be used. The site has published a number of falsehoods, conspiracy theories, and intentionally misleading stories as fact." breitbart.com
Con El Mazo Dando Talk show of Diosdado Cabello, Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. As such, it lacks editorial independence, is considered generally unreliable when reporting about Venezuelan and should not be used as a main source.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has expressed concerns about how the program has intimidated people that went to the IACHR denouncing the government,[33] and Amnesty International has denounced the way in which Cabello routinely shows state monitoring of people that may disagree with the government.[34] Some Venezuelan commentators have compared the use of illegally recorded private conversations on programs such as Cabello's to the practices in place in the East Germany.[35]

[65][66]
CounterPunch Deprecated sources: "clear consensus to deprecate CounterPunch.Multiple examples were provided of misleading, fringe, or downright false statements published on the site. Many users agreed that the site itself leans towards favoring fringe viewpoints, and publishes such viewpoints preferentially, not indiscriminately." [67]
The Grayzone Deprecated sources: "consensus that The Grayzone publishes false or fabricated information. Some editors describe The Grayzone as Max Blumenthal's blog, and question the website's editorial oversight." [68]
HispanTV Deprecated sources: "overwhelming consensus that HispanTV is both generally unreliable and that sometimes it even publishes outright fabrications" [69]
Lechuguinos Pro-government opinionated and yellow press. Lechuguinos has been shown reporting misleading or false information in cooperation with unreliable and state outlets, as well as attacking independent journalists.[36][37][38] [70]
La Tabla Pro-government blog, focuses on corruption accusations. Has published fabricated and defamatory information about individuals, against Wikipedia's BLP policy. Received the 2016 Journalism National Award by the Venezuela government. [71]
MintPress News Deprecated sources: "consensus that the site publishes false or fabricated information." [72]
Misión Verdad Pro-government portal. Has published fabricated content and amplified disinformation [73]
RT Deprecated sources: "RT is generally unreliable for topics that are controversial or related to international politics." In addition, the impact of bias from RT in relation to Venezuela topics in particular means that it should not be used; if the information is legitimate, more reliable sources will have published it. [74]
Sputnik Deprecated sources: "There is clear consensus that Sputnik News is generally unreliable. Sputnik is considered a Russian propaganda outlet that engages in bias and disinformation." In addition, the impact of bias from Sputnik in relation to Venezuela topics in particular means that it should not be used; if the information is legitimate, more reliable sources will have published it. [75]
TeleSur Deprecated sources: "consensus exists to deprecate Telesur as a source"
See also: Citing gov't claims from TeleSur and TeleSur English deprecated.
[76][77]
Venezuela News Disinformation website that started operating around late 2021. The outlet's vicepresident is Lenin Dávila, who has also been the director of Lechuguinos. [78]

By type

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Academic sources

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Name Scope/Additional information External links
Diccionario de Historia de Venezuela (Empresas Polar) It is considered generally reliable for historical figures and events. [79]
Mujeres Referentes Repository of biographies of over 200 Venezuelan women, coordinated by El Pitazo, Runrun.es y TalCual.
See also: About page (in Spanish) and Wikipedia:WikiProject Venezuela/Mujeres Referentes
[80]
VenezuelaTuya It is a popular outlet that provides encyclopedic-like articles on Venezuelan history, geography and culture. Articles sometimes include references. Information taken from this page has to be used with precaution.

VenezuelaTuya never includes the date or author of its articles. VenezuelaTuya also works as a travel agency. Some of its content are violations of other sources copyrights, namely the Empresas Polar History Dictionary.

[81]

Civil society

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Name Scope/Additional information
Acceso a la Justicia
(English: Justice Access)
Venezuelan NGO focused on monitoring judicial independence and rule of law in the country.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Acción Solidaria Venezuelan NGO seeking to combat the spread of HIV in Venezuela and other Spanish speaking countries.
See also:

About page (in Spanish)

Atlas del Silencio
(English: Silence Atlas)
Interactive map created by IPYS Venezuela (see below) that illustrates media presence and access in the country.
See also: Interactive map (in Spanish)
CEPAZ
(Spanish: Centro de Justicia y Paz - English: Peace and Justice Center)
Venezuelan human rights NGO
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Espacio Público
(English: Public Space)
Venezuelan NGO focused human rights promotion and defense, specifically of freedom of expression, right of information and the social responsibility of media outlets.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Foro Penal
(English: Penal Forum)
Venezuelan NGO that provides pro bono legal assistance and documents violations of due process, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment during detention. The organization periodically publishes the current number of political prisoners in Venezuela. Its director, Alfredo Romero, was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2017, and its vice-director, Gonzalo Himiob, was awarded the Civil Courage Prize in 2019.
See also: Brief discussion on Venezuelan NGOs
Fundaredes [es] Venezuelan NGO that has focused on the human rights situation in the border with Colombia. As such, the organization has denounced military officers missing in action, forced recruitment of Venezuelan citizens and attacks against civilians by Colombian guerrillas, as well as the collaboration of the Nicolás Maduro administration with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla groups. Its director, Javier Tarazona [es], was arrested in 2021 after he denounced to the Attorney General's Office a meeting between former minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín and ELN leaders, and as of 2023 he remains detained.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
IPYS Venezuela
(Spanish: Instituto Prensa y Sociedad Venezuela - English: Venezuelan Press and Society Institute)
Venezuelan NGO focused promotion of freedom of expression, investigation journalism and information rights.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Monitor del Uso de la Fuerza Letal en Venezuela
(English: Use of Lethal Force in Venezuela Monitor)
Monitor of extrajudicial killings in the country.
See also:About page (in Spanish)
Monitor de Víctimas
(English: Victim Monitor)
Website collaboration between Correo del Caroní, Crónica Uno, El Nacional, El Pitazo, Projiuris and Runrunes to document homicides in Caracas and Bolívar state.[39]
Observatorio Venezolano de Violencia
(English: Venezuelan Observatory of Violence)
Venezuelan NGO that documents crime and violence in the country. Useful as reference for homicide rates.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social
(English: Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict)
Venezuelan NGO that documents demonstrations in the country. Useful as reference for number of protests in a given year or month.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
PROVEA
(Spanish: Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos - English: Venezuelan Human Rights Action Education Program)
Venezuelan human rights NGO. Founded in 1988, shortly before Massacre of El Amparo, committed during the presidency of Jaime Lusinchi. Provea later helped present the case in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The organization was awarded the John Humphrey Freedom Award in 2010 and nowadays it continues to document and denounce human rights violations in the country.
See also: About page, Press release of the 30th anniversary of El Amparo massacre (in Spanish)
RedUni Venezuelan NGO focused on the promotion and defense of human rights of the university community.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Transparencia Venezuela Venezuelan NGO focued in government transparency and corruption. Has good profiles of the members of the National Assembly.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Sin Mordaza
(English: No Gags)
Venezuelan human rights NGO.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Una Ventana a la Libertad
(English: One Window to Freedom)
Venezuelan NGO focused on documenting and denouncing penitentiary conditions and detainees human rights
See also: About page (in Spanish)

Fact-checkers

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Name Scope/Additional information
C-Informa A fact-checking coalition comprising Cazadores de Fake News, Efecto Cocuyo, El Estímulo, Medianálisis and Probox. The project is supported by the Consortium to Support Independent Journalism in the Region (CAPIR), Argentina's Chequeado and Mexico's DataCrítica.[40]

In 2023, the group won the IAPA Award for Journalistic Excellence in Data Journalism for their investigation "Uncovered: The Disinformation Factory in Venezuela endangers democracy in Venezuela".[41]

Cazadores de Fake News Fact-checker that monitors WhatsApp and social media hoaxes related to Venezuela that relies on crowdsourcing, particularly from Telegram. Part of C-Informa.[42][43]
See also: Main Page in English
Cocuyo Chequea Fact-checking section of Efecto Cocuyo (see entry above). Part of C-Informa.
See also: Category (in Spanish)
Cotejo Info Fact-checker of the NGO Medianálisis started on 2016. Part of C-Informa.
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Es Paja Fact-checker created by Transparencia Venezuela with support of the European Union
See also: Fact-checking method (in Spanish)
Medianálisis
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Observatorio Venezolano de Fake News
See also: About page (in Spanish)
Verifikado Fact-checker active between 2018 and 2020. Pioneer of modern fact-checking in the country, although some of its fact checks were opinionated. Currently inactive, though its articles can still be browsed through its Twitter page (@veri_fikado) and can be accessed through the Web Archive. For fact checking after 2020, see other entries of the section.

See also: Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard/Archive_283#RfC:_Center_for_Economic_and_Policy_Research_(CEPR) (related RSN discussion)

Official sources

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Name Additional information
Central Bank of Venezuela Official figures issued include inflation rates, gross domestic product (GDP) and product shortages. There have been years where the Central Bank has spent several months without publishing official information, whereas its law establishes that it must be published monthly.[44][45][46]
Food Ministry of Venezuela The Ministry of Food has not published the Food Balance Sheets since 2007, nor the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System Yearbook since 2008.[47]
National Assembly of Venezuela During the opposition majority legislature, the Parliamentary Finance Committee offered economic figures to contrast those provided by the Central Bank, sometimes in the face of the lack thereof.[45]
National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela The National Institute of Statistics, attached to the Ministry of the Office of the Presidency, has not disseminated the National Food Consumption Monitoring Survey since 2015, and its Mortality Yearbook has at least four years of delays: the 2014 edition was published in August 2018.[47]
Interior Ministry of Venezuela Official figures issued include homicide rates. Since at least 2004, these rates have been inconsistent in Venezuela, and in recent years official information has relied on declarations by the Attorney General. The public has needed to rely in turn on information provided by NGOs, such as the Venezuelan Violence Observatory (OVV) (see entry above).[48]
Venezuelan Ministry of Health As a state source, the Venezuelan Ministry of Health should be avoided. Furthermore, it is specifically an unreliable and corrupt source, and should not be used. Its reports are often undated and unattributed, and often disappear. The Epidemiological Bulletins of the Ministry of Health, from July 2015 to December 2016, were published delayed by a year, in May 2017. Likewise, the Morbidity Yearbook has not been published since 2015, when the last report of 2013 was disclosed.[47]

It did not report statistics between 2015 and 2017; in 2017, the health minister Antonieta Caporale [es] published infant and maternal mortality rates, showing an alarming increase. She was immediately fired and the report retracted.[49] In terms of Occupational safety and health, the Ministry's statistics "are not updated and are unreliable regarding occupational accidents and diseases."[50] In 2017, UNICEF wrote that "the lack of timely, disaggregated and reliable official data about children limited the evidence of the impact of the crisis."[51]

Pollsters

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By 2013, Reuters said that "political polls in Venezuela are notoriously controversial and divergent".[52]

In 2024, newspaper El Tiempo names IdeaDatos and Data Viva as pollsters who results favor one of the candidates, in contrast to other polls.[53]

NTN24 wrote in June 2024 naming Insight and IdeaDatos as those favoring one of the candidates, and stating that IdeaDatos and PoliAnalítico campaign for him actively.[54][55]

According to an Efecto Cocuyo fact check, IdeaDatos published its first poll on 6 May 2024 – a 29 April to 3 May 2024 poll – and their data was re-published by multiple outlets that are in favor or one of the candidates.[56] Efecto Cocuyo stated that IdeaDatos then had no history of publishing its own polls on its Twitter account since its October 2020 creation and until May 2024, and "no further evidence of its existence as a company".[56] Methodological concerns include erroneous conclusions, statistical and sampling data missing or erroneous, and reliability data and margin of error are inconsistent.[d] Efecto Cocuyo writes that similar problems were found in the publication of IdeaDatos second and third polls in May and June, and that the "firm's website does not have RIF [tax information], telephone number, email or physical address, names of directors or employees, or surveys before May 2024".[57]

Similar issues were found with Data Viva ("recently created, with methodological flaws, omissions about its business identity and a history of low-quality studies");[57][58] earlier problems were also found in Hinterlaces polling[58] and CMIDE.[59]

As a rule of thumb, multiple polls should be used to provide a balanced and complete point of view.


Name Additional information
CMIDE Pro-government
Data Viva Pro-government
Datanálisis Owned by Luis Vicente León, an university professor. Described by The Wall Street Journal as a "respected pollster in Venezuela" in 2019[60]
Datincorp
Hercon Consultores
Hinterlaces Pro-government, owned by Oscar Schemel [es], former member of the 2017 Constituent Assembly[61]
IdeaDatos Pro-government
Insight Pro-government
Keller and Associates
Mass Behavior Research USAID partner but "not prime or sub-partner"
Meganálisis Pro-opposition pollster[citation needed]
PoliAnalítico Pro-government
Venebarómetro

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "World Press Freedom Index 2015". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  2. ^ https://rsf.org/en/ranking
  3. ^ "Maduro: La oposición tiene 'un presidente de la república de Wikipedia'". El Comercio (Peru) (in Spanish). 16 January 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  4. ^ "The Technical Sheet does not provide details of age groups, geographic or socioeconomic level, which would allow us to know if it is representative of the Venezuelan electoral universe, how the percentage of the sample by cities or states, nor what would be the specific percentage of men and women in each case. Nor does it specify whether the consultations were from one person per household, on public roads, by telephone, internet or mixed."[56]
  1. ^ "Clasificación Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa RSF 2023 | Tabla de países" [RSF World Press Freedom Index 2023 | Table of countries]. Reporters Without Borders (in Spanish). 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  2. ^ Minaya, Ezequiel (7 September 2014). "Venezuela's Press Crackdown Stokes Growth of Online Media". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  3. ^ Simó Sulbarán, Madelen Rocio (21 September 2023). "ArmandoInfo gana premio de la Red Global de Periodismo de Investigación" (in Spanish). El Pitazo. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "BBC Monitoring – Essential Media Insight". BBC Monitoring. 2019. Other similar opposition-leaning independent Venezuelan news websites that have sprung up in recent years include Caraota Digital (Digital Bean), offering "direct to the grain information".
  5. ^ de los Ángeles Martínezel, María (15 January 2015). "Efecto Cocuyo, "periodismo que ilumina" en Venezuela" (in Spanish). Miami Diario. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  6. ^ Cañiález, Andrés (November 2020). "Conversaciones sobre la disnformación: Tiempos de pandemia por la COVID-19" (PDF). Andrés Bello Catholic University (in Spanish). p. 37-38. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
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