The PanAm Post is a conservative libertarian and anti-socialist[1] news and opinion website launched in 2013 by Luis Henrique Ball Zuloaga.[citation needed] It publishes Spanish and English news, investigations, and opinion from a free market perspective and "in the tradition of pan-Americanism."[2][3] The outlet is based in Miami, Florida.[2]
 Logo of PanAm Post since 2020. | |
 Screenshot of PanAm Post's Spanish-language homepage from October 27, 2022. | |
Type of site | News, opinion |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, Spanish |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Founder(s) | Luis Henrique Ball Zuloaga |
| Editor | José Gregorio Martínez |
| Industry | Online newspaper |
| URL | www |
| Registration | None |
| Launched | July 1, 2013 |
| Current status | Active |
History
editThe site was founded in 2013 by Luis Henrique Ball Zuloaga.[citation needed] Ball stated that PanAm Post began as a project to counter the reporting of news outlets in Latin America that he believed had been "taken over by socialist ideas."[1] While the platform was originally launched to offer news and analysis on Latin America for English-speaking audiences, by 2019 its content was primarily published in Spanish.[4]
Following its launch, former editor-in-chief Fergus Hodgson wrote that the PanAm Post was a new generation of journalists dedicated to bilingual coverage of social movements.[3] Hodgson criticized what he called the "bloated and inefficient organizational structures" of legacy media and cited local U.S. journalist Ben Swann as a source of inspiration.[3]
Demographics
editThe majority of visitors to the PanAm Post are from the United States, followed by Venezuela, Guatemala, Argentina, and Colombia, in that order.[5] Most visitors are college educated and visit the website at home.[5]
Reception
editCommunication studies researchers at the University of Valencia regarded the PanAm Post in 2022 as pseudo-media alongside publications such as Breitbart News and Okdiario.[6] Pseudo-media, they noted, describes publications that imitate the reporting styles of traditional media "while infringing the most basic journalistic conventions, such as the conflation of data and commentary, with an overt ideological bias."[6]
Controversies
editFARC defamation lawsuit
editOn August 20, 2019, PanAm Post editor-in-chief Vanessa Vallejo published an article titled "Los violadores que son 'honorables' congresistas en Colombia" (The rapists who are 'honorable' congressmen in Colombia) accompanied by a photo of FARC senator Carlos Lozada.[7] Lozada, who held one of the ten congressional seats reserved for the FARC since 2018 under the Colombian peace agreement, filed a defamation lawsuit against Vallejo and the PanAm Post in a Bogotá court.[8] A judge initially ruled against the PanAm Post but that ruling was overturned on appeal.[9]
Coverage of Venezuelan opposition
editIn mid-2019, PanAm Post editor-in-chief Orlando Avendaño published investigative articles that alleged the involvement of Venezuelan politicians in corruption. On June 15, Avendaño authored an investigative report that claimed that the disputed acting president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, had improperly used humanitarian aid funds to maintain military officials who deserted to Cúcuta during the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis.[10] Then on August 23, Avendaño published an article that asserted that opposition politician Henry Ramos Allup had participated in a corruption scheme involving the state oil company PDVSA.[11] Ramos's Democratic Action party responded by categorically denying the claims and accusing the PanAm Post of defamation. In a letter, party officials alleged that Ramos was the target of a defamation campaign as a result of his "strong and unwavering support" for Juan Guaidó.[12]
The PanAm Post staff published an editorial defending the veracity of their reporting and decision to criticize certain opposition politicians. The editorial also acknowledged their ideological affinity for the views of Diego Arria, Antonio Ledezma, and María Corina Machado, calling them "representatives of a true opposition".[4][non-primary source needed]
References
edit- ^ a b "Luis Henrique Ball: El socialismo es el estancamiento en la pobreza". Radio y Televisión Martí | RadioTelevisionMarti.com (in Spanish). 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ a b "Contactar". PanAm Post (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ a b c "The Hunger for a New Outlet". PanAm Post. 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ a b Post, Staff de PanAm (2019-08-26). "EDITORIAL: El PanAm Post y la oposición venezolana". PanAm Post (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-10-30.
- ^ a b "panampost.com". Alexa Internet. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
- ^ a b Sampio, Dolors Palau; Carratalá, Adolfo (2022-06-06). "Injecting disinformation into public space: pseudo-media and reality-altering narratives". Profesional de la información (in Spanish). 31 (3). doi:10.3145/epi.2022.may.12. hdl:10550/86231. ISSN 1699-2407. S2CID 249451066.
- ^ Vallejo, Vanessa (16 March 2020). "Los violadores que son "honorables" congresistas en Colombia" [The rapists who are 'honorable' congressmen in Colombia]. PanAm Post (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ "Congresista Julián Gallo ("Carlos Lozada") pierde tutela contra periodista" [Congressman Julián Gallo (“Carlos Lozada”) loses lawsuit against journalist]. El Espectador (in Spanish). 16 March 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ Zapata, Julio (16 March 2020). "Un pequeño triunfo para la libertad" [A small triumph for liberty]. PanAm Post (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ Avendaño, Orlando (14 June 2019). "Enviados de Guaidó se apropian de fondos para ayuda humanitaria en Colombia" [Guaidó's envoys appropriated humanitarian aid funds in Colombia]. PanAm Post (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ Avendaño, Orlando (23 August 2019). "El histórico partido "opositor" venezolano y su vinculación económica con el chavismo" [The historic Venezuelan "opposition" party and its economic link to Chavismo]. PanAm Post (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ Molina, Hernan Porras (2019-08-27). "AD-Carabobo responde a PanAm Post ante acusaciones contra Ramos Allup". EntornoInteligente (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-10-30.