Media Systems and Communication Policies in Latin America proposes, tests and analyses the liberal captured model. It explores to what extent to which globalisation, marketization, commercialism, regional bodies and the nation State redefine the media's role in Latin American societies.

*Winner of the AEJMC-Knudson Latin America Prize 2017* Social movements throughout contemporary Latin America are successfully influencing and shaping media policy. In this highly original, detailed, and in-depth study, Silvio Waisbord and María Soledad Segura scrutinize the goals, tactics, and impact of civic media movements across the region, demonstrating the full extent of media activism on domestic policy and politics. Media Movements goes beyond simple conceptions of 'the national' versus 'the global' to reveal the complicated process of media policy-making, and to evaluate the significance of local political elites and citizens, global actors, and legal frameworks. With success rates varying across the region, the authors offer an assessment of the impact of citizens' mobilization on policy-making, as well as the effects of legislation on ownership, funding, community media, non-profit media, and public media.

The twelve essayswritten exclusively for this publication - examine either an aspect of the mass media in the region or the media in a particular country during a number of stages of its political development.

"Ably edited, this volume offers an unusually wide-ranging collection of well-informed chapters by experts from across the region. For those who want to understand the current realities that shape media performance from the Gulf of Mexico to the Tierra del Fuego, here is the ideal starting-point." Professor Philip Schlesinger, University of Glasgow, UK "For those of us in the area of Latin American studies, this text comes to fill a gap in the field, both in terms of teaching and research." Charles Jones, Centre of Latin American Studies,University of Cambridge, UK "More than an introduction, it provides a comprehensive insight into the modern Latin America media landscape." Ramesh Jaura, Chairman of the Global Cooperation Council and Euro-Mediterranean coordinator of the IPS News Agency The media's role as a mechanism of control throughout Latin America has become increasingly sophisticated. Many repressive elements of the dictatorship periods have remained in place or have mutated into more subtle means of censorship and control. Media owners and political elites are more than keen to use the media's increasingly prominent role in framing politics in the region, in order to pursue their own agenda and interests. This book provides a comprehensive and critical overview of some of the most important media systems in Latin America. Drawing on original and critical essays from some of the most prominent authors in the field, the author approaches the subject with a country-by-country analysis, exploring the most relevant aspects of the media in each society. The essays cover: Media history Organisation The interrelationship of the media and the state Media regulation and policy and ownership Broadcast media Film, music, advertising and digital media The Media in Latin America is valuable reading for students of media and journalism studies.

This study approaches a pressing question for the public, the media, and in academia: how can the media be held accountable? By focusing on the relationship between media and accountability in the understudied region of Latin America, Mariella Bastian provides a theoretical framework for the analysis of media accountability (MA) beyond the Global North. The underlying conditions for the development of MA in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay are identified by conducting a multi-method study. The author also gives an overview of the status quo of the implementation of both traditional and innovative MA instruments.

Latin America is an increasingly important geopolitical entity and its nations are emerging as some of the most influential and radical states in the modern world. The media conglomerates which control the television and radio platforms in these countries, such as the Globo organization in Brazil and the Mercurial S.P.A. media corporation in Chile, have great political influence across the region. Here, Carolina Matos contrasts public service broadcasting in Latin America to that in Europe and the UK, engaging with current debates on globalisation and theories of cultural imperialism. She examines the role public media has played in the processes of national development, democratisation and international dialogue across South and Central America, arguing that it can be a powerful tool for political and social inclusion. This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of Media, Politics and Cultural Studies, as well as those with an interest in Latin American culture. As key polities, such as Brazil and Mexico, begin to flex their economic and demographic muscle, Media and Politics in Latin America is a timely examination of society and politics in the region.

The "overview articles have a welcome clarity and an anchoring in fact and experience often missing in work on Latin American media. To [Fox's] credit, she has selected authors who mostly underplay rhetorical generality for well-told tales about media policy." --The Democratic Communique "This well-written, well-researched book shows the courage of electronic journalists and how they have adjusted to--and often transcended and helped end--censorship and persecution. History comes alive in its retelling by these skillful essayists." --The Times of the Americas "Tightly written and tightly edited, minimally documented, but well researched, this volume breaks new ground and can serve as an advanced undergraduate and graduate textbook, as well as an indispensable reference." --Choice "This collection of essays contributes significantly toward filling the English-language void of information about media policies in Latin America. Fox has done a good job of pulling together diverse media experiences in Latin America, and an excellent distribution of work among scholars from the area. The book will augment readings for Latin Americanists and for others interested in international media." --Journalism Quarterly "Fox and 13 well-known and well-chosen Latin American communicologists document and build a balanced view of what happened to 'the people, the media and the government' in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, and Uruguay' in the fifty or so years of the Latin America media.'" --Journal of Communication "This is a well-researched, well-organized and well-written book of general interest. History comes alive in the skillful writings of these essayists." --MediaDevelopment The relationship between the mass media and political power attracts worldwide and perennial interest. It is a topic that has generated particularly heated debate in Latin America. At times, controversial attempts to enact national communication policies have radically altered the ownership of the media and the content of reporting. At others, the media have been the target of harsh censorship and virulent government repression. Media and Politics in Latin America examines the different forces that have affected the modern mass media in the region. Elizabeth Fox presents a stimulating overview of media policies, including early commercialization and government intervention, the movements for reform, the impact of the dictatorships and the recovery of democracy. Thirteen illuminating studies then trace the major themes through nine countries. Finally, the conclusion assesses the prospects for attaining the democratic goals of social equality and participation in the Latin American media. A comprehensive examination relating universal issues to specific cases in a key region, this volume will be of interest to scholars and professionals in the fields of communication, media studies, and Latin American or Third World studies.

This book brings together academic and activist work on community media, feminist, decolonial, and Indigenous perspectives to digital activism, including Free and Open Communication in Latin America. The essays in this collection speak to major changes over the past decade that are reshaping digital media uses and practices. The case studies presented here question many commonly held assumptions around global media ownership, sustainability, and access relevant to countries beyond Latin American contexts.

"Latin American journalism is currently experiencing some important transformations, with potential changes to how news is produced, shared, financed and consumed. This book provides a comprehensive overview of current journalism in Latin America, contextualized by global literature and regional empirical evidence. It is an important addition to our understanding of digital journalism and a must-read for those interested in journalism in Latin America." Dr. Vanessa de Macedo Higgins Joyce, Texas State University, USA This book explores innovative approaches to digital and data journalism in Latin America, brought by both legacy media and newcomers to the industry, with the purpose of examining this changing media landscape. As part of the Global South, Latin America has shown significant influence in the promotion of data and digital technologies applied to journalism in recent years. In this region, news entrepreneurs are becoming an essential source of innovation in news production, circulation, and distribution. The book considers news media, particularly in Latin America, as an open set of practices intertwined in the evolution of technology. It discusses the transformation of the Latin American news media ecosystem and considers how it has shaped the industry despite local differences. The study fills a significant gap in academic scholarship by addressing the multiple external factors, mainly political and economic, which have contributed to the relative lack of studies on the patterns of journalism in this region. Ramón Salaverría is Associate Dean of Research at the School of Communication, University of Navarra, Spain, where he heads the Digital News Media Research Group. Author of over 200 scholarly publications, his research focuses on digital journalism and media convergence, both in national and international comparative studies. Mathias-Felipe de-Lima-Santos is a researcher at the University of Navarra, Spain, under the JOLT project, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Training Network funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020. Previously, he was a Visiting Researcher at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. He researches changing journalistic practice with a particular focus on business models, data, and novel technologies.

This study presents an historical account of the expansion of United States interests in Latin American communications in the first half of this cntury. Particular emphasis is placed on how United States shortwave broadcasting was used as a vehicle for the penetration and dominance of Latin American mass communication systems. This penetration is analyzed in relation to the overall context of the goals and activities of the Good Neighbor Policy of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Conversely, with the development of shortwave broadcasting as a tool of foreign policy, there arose the need to restructure the traditional relations between the broadcasting industry and government. This study describes the process by which the American broadcasting industry came to accept government control and dominance in the field of international broadcasting. Finally, this study attempts to show how such an historical account as this can be used to eluciate the notion of media imperialism.