Stifled Voices: Growing Dangers of Censorship in the Media
By Sam Coleman ‘28
In an increasingly globalized, online world, media sources have become a critical tool in the spread of information. Many people wake up to cell phone alerts of breaking news, summaries of current affairs, and updates of events unfolding across the globe. Broadcasters, newspapers, and online forums are quick to comment, interjecting into the constant, ever-changing conversation that is the spread of information and opinions. However, for some people, this digitization isn’t a reality.
According to data from a UNESCO study conducted in 2022, 85 percent of the world population has experienced a decline in freedom of speech and media freedom in recent years. Journalists are facing death and imprisonment at higher rates, legislation threatens online freedom of expression, and media giants such as Meta and Google control half of all digital advertising spending. Billions of people have been impacted by online censorship—internet shutdowns affected 4.2 billion people in 2022 alone. These civilians without true media freedom can struggle to understand the truth about important issues, spiraling into election misinformation and amplified prejudice towards minority groups. Censorship of the media—the voices of the people—is a pressing global issue that may only increase as technology continues to advance. This article explores both the development and future of this danger in two countries, Venezuela and Poland.
Legacy of Censorship in Venezuela
Venezuela’s descent into dictatorial rule and expansion of state-sponsored censorship began with Hugo Chávez. President of Venezuela from 2000 to 2013, Chávez cracked down on independent media sources. He increased the number of government-run news channels from one to six, and ran all but one channel that was critical of his rule out of business. Furthermore, Chávez passed legislation that would penalize any speech that “offends” government officials or incites anxiety in the public. Essentially, this law granted Chávez the power to arbitrarily suspend any news source that he did not agree with or that criticized his rule too publicly. What resulted was an instilled fear of government criticism by broadcasted media.
This legacy did not end in 2013. After Chavez’s death, censorship only heightened as his successor Nicolás Maduro superseded Venezuelan power. Maduro quickly snuffed out protests and criticism from journalists, as well as closed almost 100 print newspapers. Throughout his reign, the Venezuelan government’s surveillance of citizens grew substantially as well. Maduro sponsored the creation of a nationwide network to collect large amounts of data from all Venezuelans, while also focusing on select targets—especially those active in spreading factual but critical information of his presidency.
Additionally, in 2017, Maduro implemented a law to punish those who committed “hate crimes” online or otherwise. Known colloquially as the “Law of Hatred,” this legislation has mainly been used to arrest Maduro’s political enemies. It even encourages citizens to report others they believe may be carrying out “shady” or “unpatriotic” acts.
In a world already heavily inundated with misinformation, Maduro has introduced a new form of disinformation: campaigns bolstered by the creation of disinformation using generative AI. Coupled with fake websites and paid troll accounts on social media, the use of AI has allowed Maduro to rise to another level of media censorship. In 2023, AI was used to create a video series documenting Venezuela’s supposed economic recovery, even though the economy has only worsened in recent years. Under Maduro, Venezuela has struggled due to its dependence on fossil fuel exports, leading to skyrocketing inflation, shrinking output of goods, and a debt burden of more than $150 billion.
This rampant spread of AI disinformation comes at a politically-charged peak in Venezuela, as the most recent presidential election came to a close in July of this year, with Maduro seemingly emerging victorious with a 51 percent majority. Unsurprisingly, an independent election analysis declared this election stolen, with Maduro only receiving approximately 30 percent of the vote while the opposition candidate Edmundo González received almost 70 percent. Though many countries, including the US, Mexico, and Brazil have demanded evidence of his victory, it seems that Maduro, backed by the Venezuelan army, will remain in office.
In the midst of the spreading of lies, stifling of voices, and silencing of media, there are organizations fighting back against Venezuelan censorship. Arepita, a subscription newsletter organization, has been providing daily news insights and important political information to Venezuelans since 2017. These newsletters are sent each weekday via email, which are more difficult for the government to censor and eliminate.
Venezuelans have also found other ways to creatively bypass censorship, such as BusTV, an offline newscast that reports current events directly to citizens in public. Members use microphones and speakers to reach Venezuelans on public transportation, busy streets, and public plazas. These forms of communication are critically important for maintaining a connection between Venezuelans and the outside world, as well as educating the public on issues that may impact them, such as the recent election. Slowly but surely, Venezuelans are chipping away at the wall of censorship imposed by an authoritarian government.
Populist Poland’s Censorship
Since the alt-right populist Law and Justice Party (PiS) won a parliamentary majority in 2015, Poland has seen a growing amount of censorship of media, news, and art. The party swiftly laid out its plans to “repolonize” the country’s media, staving off what it believes is an invasion of liberal European ideas, foreign control of news sources, and breakdown of Polish Catholicism. PiS has used Poland’s National Broadcasting Council to instill fear and threats of punishment in any public broadcaster that criticizes the government. The party has also employed public advertisement to fund favorable media outlets while dooming independent journalists to financial instability.
Furthermore, PiS has consistently silenced artists that try to express themselves. This party has long upheld anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, traditional gender and family roles, and Catholic values; this extends into displays of art as well. The government has a systematic approach to doing away with any individual who promotes art that goes against the nation’s identity or the Polish Catholic Church’s image. Art that boost ideas of feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, or criticism of the government, for example, would raise red flags among the Polish state. Most art institutions reside in Warsaw, where they are the most closely regulated.
Media pluralism was co-opted in 2021, when the state-controlled oil company PKN Orlen bought the largest media conglomerate, Polska Press. This purchase effectively brought twenty out of twenty-four daily newspapers under government control, as well as 120 weekly newspapers and countless websites that reach millions of Polish citizens. Party loyalists have replaced most of the editorial leadership in these programs, and the original members that still remain have largely been pushed into silence and self-censorship. In totality, these efforts have built a foundation of propaganda to fuel support for the ruling party.
This development was seen in full effect when Poland held its first general elections in 2019 since the populist party gained power in 2015; PiS emerged as the majority party once again. According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Polish people were not able to make an informed decision when voting due to the facade painted by government-controlled media. Specifically, a 24-hour broadcaster known as TVP24 (controlled by PiS) is one of the only television channels that all Polish citizens have free access to. It runs 24 hours of news, racking up millions of viewers. Most citizens of Poland base their political views off of TVP24’s rhetoric, and its high viewership continues to uphold the Law and Justice Party’s power.
At the same time, there are efforts to combat this censorship. Some writers and journalists have begun utilizing the Polish underground press, a system of disseminating news and information out of sight of the government—a remnant of Polish rebellion under Soviet control. This system has allowed some members of Polish society to receive updates on current events that have not been skewed by alt-right, populist narratives.
Truth seems to have broken through, as in October of 2023, the people voted out the Law and Justice Party, giving a coalition of three opposition parties a comfortable majority of 53.7 percent. A signed coalition agreement solidified the willingness of the center-right Civic Coalition Party, the centrist Third Way Party, and the New Left Party to work together in parliament—marking a possible sunset on alt-right control of media in Poland.
Future of Media Freedom
Censorship of media and free speech continues to be a pressing global issue. Millions of people each day are blinded from the truth by cherry-picked media that governments have curated to display whatever information—true or not—that will keep them in power. The specific situations in Venezuela and Poland are just two examples out of many more. It is illuminating to note the diverse backgrounds of each of these countries; both Venezuela and Poland experience issues of free speech despite their vastly different histories. This underscores the reality that truly any country is susceptible to censorship and stifling of voices.
Despite growing censorship problems, organizations worldwide are actively working to disband the networks of silencing tactics that many governments have created. Organizations such as the National Coalition Against Censorship, UNESCO, and many more local and regional groups are a part of a larger global effort to provide everyone with the truth they deserve to know.