En Barinas las mujeres crecen en la política y hacen frente a la desinformación (y II)

Barinas Women Facing Misinformation and Censorship

In the midst of an unequal political context where Barinas women strive to erase stereotypes, grow, and score points in favor of participation, there is another factor that affects them differently in this race, and that is when their right to express themselves and be informed is not guaranteed, a form – moreover – of gender-based violence.

While women are in that hand-to-hand fight to be recognized, they must also train and develop strategies to mitigate the phenomenon of misinformation, which is not only reflected in digital media from both the government and some so-called independent sources, but also on platforms like Instagram, X, and Youtube.

As a context, the Information Coalition C-Informa, in November 2023, confirmed that “the government set in motion a disinformation plan to attack the internal electoral process of the Democratic Unitary Platform,” held on October 22 of that year.

Prior to the election, the coalition denounced that the hoaxes aimed to instill fear in the population to prevent them from voting. They also tried to position the phrase “do not dress up because it doesn’t matter,” referring to María Corina Machado. After the electoral process, they spread the label “fraud”.

But there is much more. Trending some influencers with propagandistic narratives or accounts with fake followers also generates misinformation, understood as that which is not only inaccurate but also aims to deceive and is spread to cause serious harm.

The other factor that undermines women is the misinformation resulting from censorship and criminal sanctions imposed by the national government on independent digital media.

According to the IPYS Venezuela report to identify the panorama of news deserts throughout the national territory, of the 12 municipalities in Barinas, Arismendi is the largest in territory and is also the only one considered a news desert.

The results of this study indicate that 3.25% of the total population of the state (31,249 inhabitants) reside in a locality with a scarcity of news.

“In Arismendi, the most remote community from the Barinas capital and known for its agricultural and river activities, the respondents only reported the news portal La Noticia de Barinas as a local information producer,” the report highlights.

In the region, there are 24 media outlets, mostly located in neighboring municipalities such as Barinas, Bolívar, and Pedraza.

So, what do they do? To face misinformation, they say there is no specific protocol. The actions of the female politicians in the state are to follow the guidelines from the national line that allow them to circulate content to the rest of the bases, especially in this electoral period.

“We face fake news and misinformation in our daily lives by talking to people and through media such as radio and social networks; investigating on digital media portals to verify the information circulating,” explains councilwoman Gabriela Chacón, a leader of the Primero Justicia party and vice president of the Municipal Chamber of Andrés Eloy Blanco.

She adds that by serving and assisting people, regardless of their political leanings, they have been dismantling these attacks and attempts to polarize the community and sow hatred.

Regarding the state of Barinas, Professor Ysaira Villamizar, coordinator of the Broad Front of Women in Barinas, says they are working to raise awareness about misinformation and how to address it. One of the tools used is to tell the facts from the original source, by word of mouth.

María Mercedes de Zamudio, coordinator of the Municipal Women’s Movement, points out that they monitor social networks, review reliable websites, platforms of credible journalists in the country, personalities from civil society, active foundations, and NGOs.

They check the information issued by digital portals, which are currently few in the region: Diario Los Llanos, Diario La Noticia, El Universal, EVTV Miami; in addition to verifying the content of party social media and the number of followers, to minimize the dissemination of hoaxes and deep fakes for political purposes.

Barinas Women’s Gallantry

Just as the patriarchy has tried to blur women in their struggle from an egalitarian point of view, and misinformation has made gender its target in every move, it is no less true that in this scenario they move with certain fears.

“That is why when called to act or participate, both men and women prefer to do so without feeling compromised,” says Villamizar.

“This politics of fear, established from the highest spheres of power, aims to guarantee a certain political stability, but it is nothing more than a false security built on the foundation of fear,” says the leader, who during election times has taken on roles of control and monitoring of the process.

She also states that many mothers have abandoned political spaces to focus on gender roles such as motherhood, for example. “If they are single mothers, the responsibility increases. In this sense, the State must commit to creating a national care system that guarantees our development in political life.”

In that mentioned system, it is important to guarantee the right to be informed as a secure tool for equality.

And to close this look that brings us closer to the life of women who assume participatory leadership in this llanera region, we remember the proclamation of Barinas of October 18, 1811, a manifesto signed by 21 women who, in the face of the Guyana invasion advancing through San Fernando, demanded from the governor that they had not been consulted to protect their security. They asked not to be seen as the weaker sex and demanded their inclusion in the fight for freedom. At that moment, they clamored for inclusion and equality.

This content is a product of the workshop How to do quality electoral coverage in times of misinformation, by Escuela Cocuyo 2024, the training and updating program of Efecto Cocuyo.

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