Parliamentary speech on press censorship during the Chaco war (1932-1934)

Abstract

This article studies the discourse of Bolivian legislators regarding the press censorship policy established during the Chaco War. It is argued that there were two opposition discourses: on the one hand, the promotion of a parliamentary policy of press censorship covered by the categories of “national defense”, “licentiousness” and “treason”; and, on the other hand, the questioning of parliamentary censorship based on the constitutional principle of “freedom of expression”. Both speeches were flexible in time according to the dynamics of the war and the internal political dispute between liberals, republicans, and conservatives. At a methodological level, the analysis of the discourse of the Debate Diaries of the Honorable Chamber of Deputies during the context that goes from 1932 to 1934 was utilized.