Prodavinci is a Venezuelan
news site
An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical.
Going online created more opportunities for newspa ...
that provides analysis from historians, scholars and scientists.
''
Foreign Policy
A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
'' called Prodavinci "a one-stop shop for Spanish-language analysis of the Venezuelan reality"
[ while '']The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' described the website as having "serious political analysis".
History
In 2009, Angel Alayón, a Venezuelan economist out of the University of Chicago, created a personal blog and decided it needed more content, stating "I would read things in the New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
, or the Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
, or Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
, and I would wonder why Venezuela couldn’t have something like that".[ Soon after, friends and the intellectual elite in Caracas began to show desire on posting on his blog, with Alayón then naming his blog "Prodavinci" as a "reference to ]DaVinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on h ...
" and as "a call for a 'renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
' of ideas in the country".[ Alayón describes Prodavinci as "a space for ideas, discussions and debates"] "I always tell my writers that ‘opinion sucks,’ and what I mean is that in Venezuela, what passes as ‘opinion’ is not solid because it is not well-grounded. People can have an opinion, but they need to argue their points, not just state them".
Venezuelan journalist and author Boris Muñoz
Boris Muñoz (21 May 1969 in Caracas), is a Venezuelan journalist and author of several books, including "La ley de la calle, testimonios de jóvenes protagonistas de la violencia en Caracas" (Fundarte 1995), "Más allá de la ciudad letrada, Cró ...
was one of the first to join Prodavinci while Willy McKey is the assistant editor.[ Contributors have included fiction writer and essayist Federico Vegas as well as constitutional lawyer José Ignacio Hernández.][
]
Reception
According to media protection organizations, Venezuelans "have been forced to find alternatives as newspapers and broadcasters struggle with state efforts to control coverage", with a growing trend of Venezuelans using online news media to bypass government censors.[ When Prodavinci was launched in 2009, only dozens of visitors viewed the website.][ By 2014, Prodavinci saw greater than double the monthly viewers with 239,000 visitors in September 2014.][ In June 2015, the website was then receiving "several million hits per month".][
]
See also
*Efecto Cocuyo
Efecto Cocuyo ( en, Firefly Effect) is a Venezuelan journalism outlet devoted to independent media. The website was co-founded in January 2015 by Laura Weffer, former director of Venezuelan newspaper ''Diario 2001'', Luz Mely Reyes, and Josefina R ...
*La Patilla
''La Patilla'' (English: ''The Watermelon'') is a Venezuelan news website that was founded by Alberto Federico Ravell, co-founder and former CEO of Globovisión, in 2010. The website is based in Venezuela and is one of the most visited websites in ...
* El Pitazo
''El Pitazo'' is an independent Venezuelan multimedia franchise. The name " pitazo" refers to whistleblowing. It is part of the Latin American media Rebel Alliance, with ''Tal Cual'' and Runrunes. They also collaborate with NGOs to be more informe ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Prodavinci on FacebookProdavinci on Twitter
Venezuelan news websites