The Chilean media in the transition to democracy

Eighteen years since the end of military dictatorship in 1989, Chile's prolonged and arduous transition to democracy continues, It has been more than a decade of political and social processes, full of uncertainties, doubts, and negotiations. It has been a transition marred by the political and economic remnants of military dictatorship, by a highly restrictive and authoritarian legal and constitutional system, and by a weak, captive political class. The uncertainties have had a deep effect on many sectors of Chilean society, especially the media, traditionally one of the key spheres of public debate. In the last decade, the Chilean media has operated within a highly repressive and authoritarian legal and constitutional system, and within an economic model that has left it subject to the rules of the market. The restrictions and obstacles experienced by the Chilean media during the transition have many causes: the lack of an effective government media policy, a highly authoritarian legal system, and the persistence of a culture of fear and self-censorship. This paper provides, from a macro perspective (Gunther & Mughan, 2000, p. 9), a general account and analysis of why the Chilean transition to democracy has failed to rekindle more plural media and more open public debate. It also attempts to understand the relationship between the media and democratic political processes in a post-dictatorship society.