Caracas Chronicles is a group blog focused on
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n 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,"
and, according to an Associated Press article, though highly critical of Venezuela's socialist government, the site "doesn't spare the opposition".
History
Caracas Chronicles was founded in 2002 by Francisco Toro.
In 2015, Caracas Chronicles was relaunched as a Florida-registered LLC; its website says it has a newsroom in Caracas, correspondents throughout Venezuela,
and plans to become "a more professional news site based on exacting journalistic standards".
In February 2019,
Rafael Osío Cabrices took over as editor-in-chief.
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''.
Before the appointment of Osío Cabrices, Toro—a Venezuelan political scientist living in Canada
—had alternated in the role of editor-in-chief with Juan Nagel, a Venezuelan economist and professor at the
University of the Andes, Chile.
Reception
The
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
says that the website's "English-language musings are a must-read for foreign journalists, academics and political junkies".
[
Following the death of President ]Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...
, José de Córdoba wrote in '' Americas Quarterly'':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
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'' that Chavismo was not sustainable, and that when oil prices declined, Caracas Chronicles "will be the essential guide".
References
{{reflist
Venezuelan news websites
Internet properties established in 2002