Venezuela Legalizes Import of Newsprint . As Dailies Face Dwindling Supply

<a href=www.mediainfo.com>Editor & Publisher On Line APRIL 18, 2003 By Mark Fitzgerald

CHICAGO -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government recently added newsprint to the list of goods that can be imported by newspapers that have been rationing their dwindling supply since last November.

Newspapers had accused Chavez of taking revenge for their opposition to his rule by effectively banning newsprint imports through currency controls.

Even with newsprint on the "importable" list, the complex currency regulations are still stymieing newspapers' efforts to obtain dollars to pay for the commodity, Rafael Poleo, editor of the daily El Nuevo Pais told E&P Online. Venezuelan dailies are eliminating pages and are now as thin as they were during World War II, said Poleo, who indicated he has enough newsprint to last until about June.

To read more on this story, see the latest Americas Extra column.

Source: <a href=www.mediainfo.com>Editor & Publisher On Line