Al-Jazeera is rapidly refining the global news map by inspiring the emergence of
regional and global counter-hegemonic news networks in developing regions. In 2005, Hugo
Chavez launched Telesur (Spanish for “The New Television Station of the South”) in Latin
America as a counterweight to the Western-centered Spanish-speaking CNN and Univision.
Telesur, whose slogan is “Our North is the South,” is co-owned by Venzuela, Argentina,
Uruguay, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Nicaragua and broadcasts to most of the Latin
American continent. Upon its launch, both Chavez and Telesur Head Andres Izarra said that
the birth of the channel was inspired by the success of Al-Jazeera. Indeed, Latin American
often calls Telesur “the Latin Al-Jazeera.” In early 2006, Telesur established its link to AlJazeera
by signing a content-exchange agreement with the Qatari network