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SHORT OF NEWSPAPERS, Venezuelans are getting updates about their country’s deadly political crisis live – acted out by reporters on the bus to work.
Maria Gabriela Fernandez and Dereck Blanco stand on board inside a black frame. “El Bus TV,” reads a sign over their heads.
“Good morning everyone. First, the news.”
It’s less comfortable than a TV studio – they have to hold onto the rail with one hand to stop themselves from falling when the dilapidated bus brakes. But it’s one way of escaping government censorship.
“The idea came from the need to break away from the news circus in this country,” the group’s creative editor Claudia Lizardo told AFP.
To bring people truthful news through a mass transport system: the bus.
Crisis in three minutes
In three minutes, Fernandez and Blanco deliver news on health, safety, sports, entertainment and, naturally, economics and politics in a country stricken by food shortages and deadly riots.
Clashes at daily protests by demonstrators calling for President Nicolas Maduro to quit have left 66 people dead since 1 April, prosecutors say. Police fire tear gas and water cannons at protesters who hurl rocks and petrol bombs.
The Bus TV team digs out original angles to bring home the drama of the protests, which are not broadcast on state television.
“Each tear gas canister costs $40. At the black market exchange rate, that is 200,000 bolivars, or a whole month’s salary,” Blanco tells the audience of passengers.
Economic news now: a kilo of chicken wings costs 9,700 bolivars. A Venezuelan on a minimum wage must work a day and a half to buy it.
Opening people’s eyes
Blanco is a presenter on a national television channel but also does Bus TV out of frustration at being under official “pressure” not to cover certain subjects on air.
“It is a challenge,” he says. “Journalists have to reinvent themselves so that the news can reach the people.”
The team hop on and off buses around Caracas, with the permission of the drivers who often let them on without paying a fare.
Bus TV is spreading, says Laura Castillo, the show’s producer.
There is a team working in the western industrial city of Valencia and another in Puerto La Cruz in the east.
“It is a marvelous idea. I like it when things are said clearly, without aggression,” said passenger Glenda Guerrero, a 68-year-old housewife.
“I think it is important for them to report to us what it is happening, to open our eyes.”
State censorship
The six-member Bus TV group of journalists and performing artists started its shows on May 28 – the 10th anniversary of a dark day for Venezuela’s independent media.
On that day in 2007, Maduro’s late predecessor Hugo Chavez shut down the country’s oldest broadcaster, Radio Caracas Television, for its critical coverage of him.
Like Chavez before him, Maduro – himself a former bus driver – accuses the private media of being part of a capitalist conspiracy against his socialist leadership.
The Venezuelan media rights group Espacio Publico and the National Journalists’ Union accuse the government of censoring media that carry coverage critical of it.
The government took the Spanish-language edition of CNN television news off air this year. The groups say scores of newspapers have shut down because the authorities are denying them paper to print on.
The country’s leading newspaper El Nacional and prominent news website La Patilla have been sued. Others have been bought up by businesses loyal to the government, Espacio Publico says.
“The government has won the arm-wrestle over controlling the media,” says Castillo.
“You can get news on social media, but not everyone has access to those and a lot of what you find there is just rumors.”
Attacks on reporters
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders ranks Venezuela a dismal 137th out of 180 countries for press freedom.
The journalists’ union has counted more than 200 attacks against reporters during the past two and a half months of protests.
Maduro has fanned the protests by proposing to reform the constitution, “without consulting Venezuelans in a referendum,” Blanco and Fernandez report, wrapping up their bulletin.
Passengers applaud as the presenters sign off.
Meanwhile, the bakeries still have no bread. Thank you for watching, this is Bus TV.
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All I read in that headline was erection and Georga salpa.
Legoman, you’re one randy pup ya!
Ha,brilliant
Who the hell are these people that make such complaints? And how do we rid ourselves of them
Introduce them to the journal comments section with the rest of the cranks.
Georgia Salpa can do anything she wants with my nuts
Bite them off?
tis the time of the year.. chestnuts roasting on an open fire.. ouch
Unless you have plenty of money I doubt she would be interested.
Its a sad case whenever I see an advert that is generally designed to appeal to the male sense of humour or interests, that I know somewhere out there, there is a fat frumpy feminist angrily writing a letter or typing an email of complaint.
but she was probably drooling over the coke adverts.
or the SMA adverts that only recognise mothers as doing a good job bringing up babies.
Two people make a complaint & it makes the news. That in itself is a problem we have in this country. A small group of complaints can get a whole nation debating an issue. This story isn’t even news worthy.
While I would agree with your sentiment, there is a photo of Gorgia Salpa attached so I’m gonna let this one slide.
Well think the problem is that it only takes a small number of complaints for an advert to be pulled. There was a newbridge silver one a couple of months back which was declared to be offensive because Roz Purcell was the model in it and there were 10 complaints.
You think it’s bad now? Wait til the bearded ones in Clongriffin get their act together.
She’s some ride in fairness
Prudish morons
Georgia Salpa ,
More men would need anti erection tablets after looking at her…
na.. just tuck mine under the belt buckle
Paddy Power and risqué ads….quelle surprise!
Good thing there’s nothing important going on in the world or we might not get these stories.
or comment on them
Get over yourselves prudes!!
No erection, no glory.
“Self-regulating” body finds in favour of its own industry.
was it this advert ?
Apparently models posing is “Demeaning to Women”. Seeing that makes me wonder what the world has come to. They’re doing their job.
Any link to the ad?
its an email they sent out. you actually had to sign up to receive it and be over 18.. the mind boggles.
Paddy Power paid Lord Nicolas Bendtner’s €100,000 fine in Euro 2012 for the underwear fiasco wonder if Georgia will get the same?
Jesus, who even bothers complaining about trivial shit like this?
A couple of weeks ago I entered a tiny industrial place picking up some paint in around the Crumlin area. There was a kitchen design and building place there with a van parked outside. The image on the van was of a kitchen with a fantastic looking blonde dressed in a skimpy black dress wearing black stilettos bent provocatively over the counter. Ok, sex sells but kitchens too? Surely if it was real representation she would be at the sink wiping sweat from her brow with half a dozen pulling her in different directions? Needless to say, I kept my thoughts to myself! Ads are weird!
*half a dozen kids pulling…
Pics or it didn’t happen!
have your say