When “Development” Became News: How JFK’s Alliance for Progress Reshaped Journalistic Narratives of Progress in Venezuela

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the impact of President John F. Kennedy’s (JFK) flag initiative for Latin America, known as the Alliance for Progress, on journalistic narratives in Venezuela’s media. It contextualises this analysis within the broader efforts of political communication and propaganda. In so doing, it argues that this program helped to establish the discursive regimes that would come to define journalistic narratives and, consequently, public perceptions of the economy and development policy. The research is based on an examination of historical archives from the JFK library and conducting a content analysis of one of the most influential daily newspapers in that country. The research shows the effects that this initiative had upon journalistic narratives and how it helped change discursive regimes.

KEYWORDS:

• Journalism
• Global South
• Alliance for Progress
• Cold War
• development
• John F. Kennedy
• propaganda

Acknowledgements

The article is based on an archive examination of historical papers and documents, which was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Theodore C. Sorensen Fellowship, the John F. Kennedy Library and the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum both in the US and the Arts and Humanities Council in the UK.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum; AHRC - Development Assistance and independent journalism in Africa and Latin America: A cross-national and multidisciplinary research network [AH/P00606X/1]; John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.