Telesur: News with an Accent

Telesur’s main news anchor, Brazilian Clarise Arduz, delivers the news with a distinct Portuguese accent. Given the network’s original choice of Ati Kiwa, a Colombian Indian woman who wore traditional tribal dress, it’s hard to believe that Arduz’ nationality wasn’t considered carefully in making her the voice of Telesur news. In public diplomacy the messenger can be as significant as the message, and the choice of Arduz, whose accent as an original Portuguese speaker is as obvious to native Spanish speakers as a British accent would be to Americans, is probably an attempt to establish a certain kind of credibility with Latin American viewers.

Brazil is a rising power in the region as both the most populous Latin American country and its largest economy with a 2 trillion dollar GDP. Significantly, Brazil’s Lula and Chavez haven’t always agreed politically, so a Brazilian anchor wouldn’t automatically be assumed to be a mouthpiece for the Chavez government, the way a Bolivian or Nicaraguan anchor might be. Having a Brazilian voice deliver news that appears to have a pro-Chavez agenda may be a way to capitalize on Brazil’s growing influence in the region. Just as Russia Today employs British and American anchors to connect with Western viewers, Telesur’s choice of Arduz seems to be part of its strategy to try to establish credibility with its Latin American audience.