Caracas Chronicles
Available inEnglish
URLwww.caracaschronicles.com
Launched2002
Current statusActive

Caracas Chronicles is a group blog focused on Venezuelan news and analysis in English with a focus on Venezuelan politics and economics in the Chávez and post-Chávez era. The website once described itself as "opposition-leaning-but-not-insane,"[1] and, according to an Associated Press article, though highly critical of Venezuela's socialist government, the site "doesn't spare the opposition".[2]

History

Caracas Chronicles was founded in 2002 by Francisco Toro.[1] In 2015, Caracas Chronicles was relaunched as a Florida-registered LLC; its website says it has a newsroom in Caracas, correspondents throughout Venezuela,[3] and plans to become "a more professional news site based on exacting journalistic standards".[4]

In February 2019,[4] Rafael Osío Cabrices took over as editor-in-chief.[3] According to Caracas Chronicles, Osío Cabrices worked at Venezuela's El Nacional, on the Primicia news magazine, and has published three books: El Horizonte Encendido, Apuntes Bajo el Aguacero and Salitre en el Corazón.[4] Before the appointment of Osío Cabrices, Toro—a Venezuelan political scientist living in Canada[5]—had alternated in the role of editor-in-chief with Juan Nagel, a Venezuelan economist and professor at the University of the Andes, Chile.[6]

Reception

The Associated Press says that the website's "English-language musings are a must-read for foreign journalists, academics and political junkies".[2]

Following the death of President Hugo Chávez, José de Córdoba wrote in Americas Quarterly:[5]

Caracas Chronicles, an English-language blog that has provided a running narration since 2002 of the Chávez era, will continue to be an indispensable tool of analysis and information for addicts of the Chávez story—a story that so far has managed to outlive the flamboyant president. ... One hopes that Venezuelans, and everyone else interested in the fate of the country, will continue to be served by the entertaining and insightful dispatches of Caracas Chronicles.

David Frum said at The Daily Beast that Chavismo was not sustainable, and that when oil prices declined, Caracas Chronicles "will be the essential guide".[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "About". Caracas Chronicles. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ a b Goodman, Joshua (3 February 2014). "Venezuelan Blogger, Francisco Toro, Calls It Quits". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b "About Us". Caracas Chronicles. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Stolk, Raúl and Francisco Toro (16 February 2019). "Rafael Osío Cabrices: Editor in Chief of Caracas Chronicles". Caracas Chronicles. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  5. ^ a b de Córdoba, José (31 July 2013). "Blogging the Revolution: Caracas Chronicles and the Hugo Chávez Era". Book Review. Americas Quarterly. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Venezuela: A Crisis Three Years in the Making". Caribbean Journal of International Relations & Diplomacy. 2 (1): 75–88. March 2014.
  7. ^ Frum, David (17 March 2013). "David's Bookclub: Blogging the Revolution". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
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