The Daily Journal (Venezuela)
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | ? 2007 ? |
| Headquarters | Caracas, Venezuela |
| Circulation | c 30,000 |
| Official website | www.dj.com.ve |
The Daily Journal was an English language newspaper, published in Caracas, Venezuela. It was founded in 1945 by Jules Waldman, and subsequently passed into the hands of Hans Neumann, then Janet Kelly, and was later owned by Russ Dallen, a noted journalist and banker.
It was one of the prominent three English language newspapers in Latin America, the other two being the Buenos Aires Herald and The News in Mexico City. Despite its relatively small circulation (30,000 est.), the Daily Journal had strong influence in Venezuela,[citation needed] because the paper was read by an economically important expatriate community, which included international bankers, oil executives, diplomats. In 2005, the 60-year-old paper went online and launched a Colombian edition. In 2006, the paper planned to expand into Panama and Mexico.
[edit] History
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By August 1988, the combination of a legal case[vague] that had wound its way through the Venezuelan court system, and a secret vote by reporters and editors resulted in The Daily Journal having to hire back the reporters it had fired, and pay damages to others that preferred not to return.
Just as the situation at the paper was calming down, the political, economic and military situation in Venezuela erupted. The Jaime Lusinchi administration was reviled for corruption and sinister methods of silencing critics. With the end of the Iran-Iraq war, the price of oil plummeted to an all-time low, crippling the Venezuelan economy, and sending the national currency (the Bolivar) into a massive short-term devaluation of nearly 1,500% in one year. And the military was revealed to be maintaining "torture barracks" to punish unwilling recruits that tried to escape military service. The Daily Journal's coverage of these crises and of the Carlos Andrés Pérez candidacy began to provoke stern condemnations from both the Venezuelan government and the U.S. State Department.[citation needed]
The pressure on The Daily Journal was exacerbated by its coverage of what has come to be known as the "Massacre of El Amparo",[Need quotation to verify][1][2] Venezuela erupted into nationwide riots and instability. Daily Journal editors were ordered[by whom?] to ignore the evidence against the DISIP and PTJ, and to print government propaganda, and to minimize coverage of the unrest, so as not to affect negotiations on balloon payments on Venezuela's $33 billion in foreign debt.[not in citation given][3]
This all culminated in the Caracazo—a series of protests that erupted into violent street riots and looting. The military reaction to this was ruthless, as the secret police forces (such as the DISIP and Manzopol) fanned out across the country.[citation needed] Some Daily Journal editors and reporters were forced to flee the country to evade reprisals during the political chaos, while others chose to stay and attempt, as best they could, to put out a newspaper.
[edit] Sources
- ^ Historia de Venezuela en imágenes: La Masacre de El Amparo, Fascículo 25. Fundación Polar. Caracas, Venezuela.
- ^ Comandos del Crimen, la masacre de El Amparo, por Walter Márquez, Fuentes Editores, Caracas, ISBN 980-6297-15-6.
- ^ David LaFontaine, former Managing Editor of The Daily Journal, http://www.hardnewsinc.com
- "About Us". The Daily Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20071016072210/http://dj.com.ve/article.asp?ArticleId=133399&CategoryId=10734. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
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- "About Us". The Daily Journal. Archived from the original on 2005-12-25. http://web.archive.org/web/20051225233757/http://www.dj.com.ve/article.asp?ArticleId=133399&CategoryId=10734. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- Coronil, Fernando and Julie Skurski (2005). States of violence. University of Michigan Press. p. 135. ISBN 0472068938. http://books.google.com/books?id=Ftne6Ezh5aAC&pg=PA135&lpg=PA135&dq=Daily+Journal+Caracas+El+Amparo&source=bl&ots=2o6IUodb5W&sig=rufOsPaQHJKjhzfabfB3KCzdOBE&hl=en&ei=NpGFS6T-M8LT8Qa_sPGtAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CAsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Daily%20Journal%20Caracas%20El%20Amparo&f=false.
- (Spanish) "TSJ regiones: Decisiones". El Tribuno Supremo de Justicia: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela. ?. http://amazonas.tsj.gov.ve/decisiones/2007/febrero/904-15-GP02-R-2006-000498-PJ0572007000026.html. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- "Pro-Chávez businessmen accused of sponsoring Humala". El Universal. 2000-05-06. http://caracas.eluniversal.com/2009/05/06/en_pol_art_pro-chavez-businessm_06A2319089.shtml. Retrieved 2010-02-24.[dead link]
- (Spanish) Anderson, Eduardo Camel (2006-04-07). "La noticia es el producto, el idioma es el inglés". El Universal. http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/04/07/eco_art_07246A.shtml. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- (Spanish) "Esposa de Humala cree que intentan impedir candidatura". El Universal. 2009-05-09. http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/05/09/pol_art_esposa-de-humala-cre_1379750.shtml. Retrieved 2010-02-24.[dead link]
- (Spanish) Bravo, Ivan Padilla (2001-09-12). "Hans Neumann dejó legado editorial". El Universal. http://doblevia.eluniversal.com/2001/09/12/ccs_art_12404AA.shtml. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- (Spanish) "Mayoría de peruanos cree que Hugo Chávez financia a Ollanta Humala". El Universal. 2009-05-17. http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/05/17/imp_int_ava_mayoria-de-peruanos_17A2333365.shtml. Retrieved 2010-02-24.[dead link]
