Underlying Nationalism in Venezuelan and U.S. Newspapers

       

Although the United States and Venezuela are not considered vicious enemies, the two countries have differing political ideologies and have been known to clash on certain issues.  Recently, the two nations did just that. On September 19^th of this year, as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was flying to Europe, he was initially denied passage through U.S. airspace over Puerto Rico. Although hasty diplomatic talks granted the President permission, the event caused a stir in Venezuelan newspapers, which cited it as an “act of aggression.” Within a week of the flight, both the New York Times and Correodel Orinoco ran stories regarding the issue. Unsurprisingly, each had its own take on the situation, with both newspapers blaming the opposite country.

            
          In Correo del Orinoco’s September 27 edition, Ewan Robertson writes of the airspace issue, immediately bringing to the reader’s attention that President Maduro and his government were denied permission for no apparent reason. Furthermore, he quotes Bolivarian President Evo Morales as saying that Latin American stands as a "united people," defending the Venezuelan President should anyone such as the United States “‘mess with Maduro.’” Robertson intends to evoke nationalistic emotions among the Venezuelan people, inciting pride for Venezuela and Maduro and anger against the United States.

            
          On the contrary, in the New York Times article titled “U.S. Denies Trying to Bar Venezuelan President From Airspace,” William Neuman highlights that the U.S. never turned down Maduro’s request to fly over their airspace. Rather, Neuman notes that Maduro was not flying in a state department plane and the Venezuelan government only entered the request one day prior to flying, instead of the three days needed. Furthermore, he emphasizes that the issue is of very little significance, only gaining notoriety due to the dramatization of the Venezuelan government and press.

          Yet, these two contrasting articles share common trends. Both articles are in their own way inciting political controversy. Correo del Orinoco is attempting to dramatize the story by painting it as a international travesty of justice, with Venezuela once again being slighted by the arm of the United States. Furthermore, Correo del Orinoco is trying to set an agenda for the Venezuelan government. They want to incite nationalism among the citizens, hoping to ensure that the issue is not soon forgotten. On the other hand, the New York Times is creating political controversy by downplaying the issue in a way that demeans the Venezuela government, calling the issue “absurd.” Although both news sources are attempting to inform their respective readers, neither is completely objective. Rather, both are trying to persuade the public with nationalistic ideals and values. Consequently, this political controversy creates new conceptions of news. Instead of focusing on more pressing issues in both countries, media outlets have prioritized the coverage of issues such as this, dramatizing them for the sake of readers. 


Sources

Venezuelan Article- Ewan Robertson

U.S. Article-William Neuman

Venezuelan Nationalism- Kirschke