Abstract

CARDENAS-RUIZ**, Juan David. Media Coverage of 2015 Local Elections in Colombia: between Political Opacity and Informative Centralism. Pap.polit. [online]. 2016, vol.21, n.2, pp.319-342. ISSN 0122-4409.  https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.papo21-2.cmel.

Mass media have a central role in electoral processes. In October 2015 local elections were held to select regional and local representatives and executive authorities in Colombia. The Mission for Electoral Observation (MOE) and a group of national universities made a monitoring excercise to the mainstream media coverage of elections. This article focuses on the news magazines of the two main television channels in Colombia with the highest rating and historic audience analyzing the agenda, social and political actors, and strategies of information construction seeking to raise some reflections about the role of the media in covering electoral processes in Colombia. The article shows two trends of this coverage. First, excessive centralism in the information coverage, and second, lack of transparency and informational balance, insofar as the media assume political and ideological agendas defending determined political positions and interests.

Keywords : elections; mass media; television; agenda setting; framing.

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