No News is Bad News: Examining the Discourse Around Hugo Chávez’s Illness

Abstract

Hugo Chávez was a towering personality and dominated Venezuela’s recent history. Three years after his death, he is still the main buttress of the Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolution. Chávez was ubiquitous on Venezuelan media. In frequent and lengthy live broadcasts—mandatory for all outlets—he spoke to the nation, made decisions, defined strategies, gave Government handouts, appointed and fired ministers and officers, threatened and insulted. In short, he was the Bolivarian Revolution—its creator, image and spokesperson. What happens when such a president falls terminally ill? How are medical information and the President’s discursive absences handled? Chávez’s health pervaded Venezuela during the last 21 months of his life. Yet, information was sparse and tightly controlled by him and the closest members of his Government. There were no medical reports. In contrast, the rumor mill worked non-stop and some journalists were particularly predictive of the President’s subsequent announcements. This situation brought out the tension between public figures’ right to privacy and citizens’ right to know about the health of their leader. This chapter fleshes out that tension by examining the discourse around Chávez’s health and illness, identifying the Government’s underpinning tactics and whether these were consonant with Chávez’s general media strategy and/or reactive to media reports.