Journalism in the Chilean Transition to Democracy: The Lost Decade (1990-2000)

Journalism in the Chilean Transition to Democracy (1990-2000) examines the context, the process and development of the Chilean media and journalism during the first decade of the transition to democracy. Since the end of the military dictatorship in 1989, Chile went through a prolonged and arduous transition to democracy. The dynamic of the Chilean transition experienced in the first decade had a profound effect on many sectors of Chilean society, especially journalism and the media. The underlying argument of this book is that the Chilean transition to democracy, a political and economic phase achieved by negotiation and compromise, was not accompanied by the establishment of a more democratic, pluralistic media system. The legal and constitutional system left in place by the dictatorship, and maintained almost unchanged by governments during the transition to democracy, severely limited public debate, freedom of expression and the work of journalists. The Chilean transition to democracy has failed to rekindle more plural journalism, media and indeed a more open public debate.