Public Media in the Americas

By Cameron Combs
March 14, 2013

Democratization may have fundamentally altered the Latin American political landscape in the 1980s and ‘90s, but its effects have lagged in the information realm. All too often, the region’s media have been controlled by a handful of companies, limiting citizen access to balanced reporting. The resurgence of the left – historically targeted by these oligarchs – has sought to counter this phenomenon with state-owned newspapers and broadcast outlets. Public media – independent and not-for-profit programming – however, seem to have been left without a champion.

On March 14, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted an event on the “rebirth” of public media in Latin America to mark the release of Cajas Mágicas: El renacimiento de la televisión pública en América Latina, published jointly by the World Bank and UN Development Program. Discussion focused on the important role of public media in democratic governance—as a space for education, entertainment, dialogue, and a diversity of political and cultural views—and considerations for fostering its survival in Latin America. Author Luis Arroyo framed the discussion by presenting the challenges faced by public media institutions that are neither governed by private corporations nor elected officials. Who decides the content of programming?  Or the relevance or accuracy of news? Who reviews political content? And, who finances the operation?

Silvio Waisbord, professor of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, elaborated on one consideration: the difficulty of ensuring the independence of public media without stable political parties. In Europe, for instance, rival factions have largely agreed to fund public media without meddling in its programming. Absent this sort of consensus, it becomes difficult to ensure the institutional safeguards that allow independent reporting to thrive.

On a related point, some audience members asserted that the notion of a public good in general is underdeveloped in Latin America. The Latin American middle class, one participant noted, is adverse to tax increases for public security and education, preferring instead to spend or invest their earnings. This represents another significant hurdle.

While these challenges are daunting, fostering a political and social environment for public media is critical for improving democratic governance in the future. Sergio Jellinek of the World Bank and Gerardo Noto of the United Nations Development Program elaborated on these benefits. In short, public media provides a space for different view pointsand covers many subjects for-profit media tend to overlook. Access to this information is critical for ensuring minority views are aired as well as developing a more informed citizenry. As a growing middle class demands more from its leaders, this emphasis on independent, thoughtful programming is coming at a critical moment for Latin America.