The Dream They Couldn't Censor
By the time I reached 6th grade in my home country, Venezuela, it was the year 2014, and our nation faced significant challenges following the passing of the dictator Chavez. At the time, Venezuela was the country with the highest inflation in the world, a lot of delinquency and with massive shortages of food and basic goods.
February 12, 2014, was the beginning of a wave of protests, but also the beginning of massive censorship.
During the first day of protest, a 24-year-old man was killed in cold blood, and the order of President Maduro was to censor every channel that reported violence on the streets. I felt powerless and frustrated and that was the exact moment when I realized my desire to become a journalist.
By the age of 11, I was aware of the events unfolding in my country, including the dangerous issues of censorship and manipulation of information. The shutting down of TV channels like CNN, and many other national media networks, started to fade my dream of becoming a journalist.
Little did I know, years later, those experiences would teach me how crucial authentic journalism is for a country. And now, a decade later, I am on the path to becoming one of them.
Dozens of journalists, and activists have been killed in my motherland for attempting to report fair and accurate information to its audiences. These reporters stayed true to journalism’s first obligation until their last breath, and they were remembered and respected as brave and trusted sources. My hope is to learn how to become a trusted and respected source in my community who acts with courage and integrity no matter what.
The panorama in Venezuela, in which I used to see TV channels manipulated by the government using false information, or recurring unethical practices, made me realize how important it is to hold those in power but also the ones informing the community accountable.
As a Latina, I have experienced how my community is plagued with misinformation and disinformation, especially in Spanish, and I see how it is harming our communities. I am on the way to acquire skills to learn how to spot it, fact-check, combat it and in turn, be seen as a trusted messenger.
Ten years ago when people used to tell me that journalism had no future, I now tell them that the stories of the people in our communities deserve to be exposed in the best way. Investigation needs to be done to hold others accountable, and creativity, credibility, and innovation must remain in our media. Censorship has no place in our society and neither does mis and disinformation.