 | |
| Available in | English |
|---|---|
| Created by | Gregory Wilpert |
| URL | venezuelanalysis |
| Commercial | No |
| Launched | September 2003 |
| Current status | Active |
Venezuelanalysis is a pro-Bolivarian Revolution website[1][2] that describes itself as "an independent website produced by individuals who are dedicated to disseminating news and analysis about the current political situation in Venezuela."[3] Its stated objective is "to counter the corporate media propaganda against the Bolivarian Revolution by giving a voice toleftist and grassroots movements in Venezuela".[3]
Greg Wilpert founded the website in 2003 with Martin Sanchez, one of the founders of the pro-Chávez websiteAporrea. Sanchez set up the technical side of the site and Wilpert worked on editing.[1][4] The set up ofVenezuelanalysis was also aided by the Venezuelan government.[5]Venezuelanalysis describes itself as "an independent website produced by individuals who are dedicated to disseminating news and analysis about the current political situation in Venezuela."[3] Its stated objective is "to provide a counter-narrative to mainstream media coverage of the Bolivarian Revolution, based on the perspective of leftist and grass-roots movements in Venezuela."[3] Wilpert described this perspective as "clearly pro-Bolivarian Revolution, but also critical of some aspects from a leftist perspective".[1]
In 2008, Wilpert moved toNew York with his wife, who had been appointed as Venezuela's Consul General to the United States.[6] Wilpert continued to work as the main editor of the website until 2009, and is a member of its board of directors.[7] In 2009, Venezuela Analysis, Inc. was registered as a domestic not-for-profit corporation in New York State.[8]
Venezuelanalysis says it is a "project of Venezuela Analysis, Inc., which is registered as a non-profit organization in New York State and of theFundación para la Justicia Económica Global, which is registered in Caracas, Venezuela."[9]
Gregory Wilpert and Martin Sánchez co-founded theVenezuelanalysis site in September 2003. Wilpert was the site's main editor for six years, until 2009, and is a member of the site's board of directors.[3] TheGlobal Post described Wilpert as "perhaps the most prominent Chavista."[10] Wilpert's wife Carol Delgado was named Consul General of Venezuela in New York in 2008.[2][11]
Venezuelanalysis wrote that "as of early 2008 its writers are all working on the site from their homes in various places in Venezuela, with volunteers contributing from around the world."[9] The website has contributors from England, Australia, and the US with a mix of activist and academic credentials, including authorsNikolas Kozloff, who periodically contributes to the site,[12] andEva Golinger.[13] As of 2019 the site's staff consists of Gregory Wilpert, Jan Kühn, Rachael Boothroyd, Lucas Koerner, Jeanette Charles, Katrina Kozarek, Paul Dobson, Cira Pascual Marquina and Ricardo Vaz.[3] According to Brian Nelson, author ofThe Silence and the Scorpion, Venezuelanalysis.com performs "damage control" for the Venezuelan government and "tried to discredit virtually every independent human rights study" while Hugo Chávez was in office as part of "an integral part of Venezuela’s propaganda complex".[14][self-published source]
In 2007, Wilpert stated the site had received "some funding" from the Venezuelan government's Ministry of Culture, in addition to "grassroots donations."[15] At that time,Venezuelanalysis had "mutual support agreements" withGreen Left Weekly,Alia2,TeleSUR and others.[1][15]
In February 2014,Venezuelanalysis ' stated that its Web server services and bandwidth was donated by Aporrea.[16] and in April 2014, the website said that it relied totally on reader donations and received no funding from any government.[9]
In 2019, the site received, as part of a journalism award, a cash prize from theAssociation for Investment in Popular Action Committees, a pro-Bashar al-Assad group. Wilpert stated thatVenezuelanalysis were not familiar with the organization behind the prize.[17]
Venezuelanalysis is pro-Bolivarian Revolution.[18][19][20] InAl-Jazeera,Nikolas Kozloff described it as "a website sympathetic to the Chávez government."[21] Other sources say it is "left-leaning".[18][22]
Gregory Wilpert said that Martin Sanchez worked on the 'technical side' of setting up Venezuelanalysis. ... the main success of Venezuelanalysis.com has been that it provides a left social movement perspective on the Bolivarian Revolution in the English language. It's a fairly rare perspective, in that it is clearly pro-Bolivarian Revolution,Also available atZnet.
Wilpert: We did receive some funding from the Ministry of Culture, but we also get some grassroots donations.
Venezuela Analysis, a website founded by the husband of a Venezuelan diplomat, also dabbles in Syria-related conspiracy and received an award for its troubles. Greg Wilpert, the site's founder, claimed he was not too familiar with the people and money behind the prize. "We were informed by the treasurer of [the] Serena Shim Award, Paul Larudee," he said. "That's all we know." Wilpert elected to not disclose how sizeable a contribution his website received.
The Venezuelan Information Office, staffed by Americans and attached to the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, hosts delegations of sympathetic lawyers, doctors and elected officials. Private organizations like Global Exchange regularly assemble 'reality tours' to see how the Venezuelan government is distributing its oil wealth to the poor. 'These people go back to the United States, hold meetings at their churches, or write articles for their local papers,' said Gregory Wilpert, an American sociologist living in Caracas, where he operates a pro-Chavez Web site, Venezuelanalysis.com.
