Seminar Series “Latin American Politics”, next 19th December, exclusively online.

Title: Local Media Against Democracy: Rent-Seeking Journalism, Governance, and Representation in Peru, by Paolo Sosa-Villagarcia (Center for Inter-American Policy and Research Tulane University)

Abstract:

Democratic theories view in the increase of local journalism an antidote to the effects of big, highly centralized media corporations on politics. But the increase of rentseeking local journalism -defined as that which seeks to use media power to obtain benefits and profits from the state- could be even more harmful in undermining local democratic governance and distorting representation in favor of powerful groups. Increased rent-seeking local media leads to (1) amplified political instability generated by constant accusations against authorities, (2) overrepresented special interests in public agendas, and (3) broken links between citizens and authorities. I draw on multiyear fieldwork research in Peru to illustrate how local journalism uses media power to secure benefits and profits from local authorities, eroding democratic governance in the process. Then, I describe variations of rent-seeking journalism depending on the level of organization of the media ecosystem and whether journalists operate as brokers or selfinterested actors. Using a longitudinal analysis of two subnational units (Cusco and Loreto) and an original database on local media licensing (2010-2024), I show how the presence of higher economic resources in public administration due to extractive industries and the level of electoral competition determine the type of rent-seeking journalism and its consequences. These findings challenge the benevolent view of local media in democratic theory and contribute to a better understanding of the political economy behind the behavior of local journalists.

Link to assist online