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Chile – (E6) Content monitoring instruments

Score in short:

There is more than one external instance, which functions in a case-by-case manner, but media do not self-monitor permanently for the citizenship.

Score in detail:

In Chile, the national associations of radio, television, and printed press, grouping most commercial mass media organisations in the country, forms the Chilean Federation of Media. It is an entity that includes an ethics council for the media, comprising experts and academics. Since 1990, the council has ruled over cases concerning the media that are part of the Federation. In case a majority of the council members rules against a medium, it must publish that resolution publicly. There is no constant monitoring of content, which is resolved on a case-to-case basis. In addition, there is the National Council for Television fulfilling functions of media monitoring. First, they do so by supervising content through complaints about what is deemed inappropriate by audiences or the council, which may imply an economic sanction for the broadcaster and even the suspension of transmissions. Second, they present public studies about the state of the television industry, its content, and the consumption of it. The National Journalism Association has a National Ethics and Discipline Tribunal, as well as Regional Ethics and Discipline Tribunals, which investigate complaints against collegiate journalists. In case they do not belong to this institution, the journalist in question is expected to volunteer for scrutiny. The sanctions are related to the participation of the questioned professional within the organisation (for further details, see Indicator E7 – Code of ethics at the national level). With the objective of informing the advertising industry, the Chilean Association of Advertising and the Association of Media Agencies also gather data and observe the Chilean media.

There are also private monitoring companies with services providing press reports on topics, public issues, and organisations. They also inform companies, media, and institutions regarding audiences in order to make commercial decisions. In addition, survey agencies and think tanks sometimes gather data about the media. Meanwhile, universities carry out studies which are later translated into public reports and academic publications.