Argentina Media Law: Newspaper Coverage and its Influence in Public Opinion

• In Event: Populism and the Press

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between mass media and Argentina’s political system. The paper examines Argentina’s 2009 emblematic Audiovisual Media Services Law. The law’s main concern was to democratize the airwaves and to increase plurality and inclusion. This led to a legal battle between the government and a powerful media corporation, Grupo Clarín. This study conducts a content analysis to explore how print media in Argentina used attributes and how they framed those attributes to influence the public. Data were collected from three national newspapers’ online publications (Clarín, La Nación, and Página/12). Results suggest that the three newspapers covered the media reform debate using different attributes and tone. Behavior before and after selected court’s ruling on the new media law show how La Nación and Clarín tended to converge in the way they used attributes and tone. When the rulings went against the interests of Clarín and La Nación, both newspapers reacted negatively as suggested by the change in tone and attribute used, to influence public opinion, relative to Página/12. Far from conclusive, the study suggests several avenues to improve research efforts in this area.

Author

• Mariana S De Maio, San Diego State University