As the first female President of Chile and a non-traditional political figure, Michelle Bachelet has received worldwide media attention since she was elected in 2006. This study examines discourses referencing her government published by two major Chilean newspapers, El Mercurio and La Tercera, particularly during times of social unrest. It focuses on three controversial issues: a national student mobilization nicknamed Movimiento Pingüino, a failed metropolitan transportation plan called Transantiago, and the debate surrounding the morning-after pill’s free distribution in public hospitals. From a Cultural Studies perspective, the analysis presupposes that media discourses relate to larger forces within society, in terms of the ideas they validate and the social processes they support. Thus, this study explores the nature of the media coverage, the related themes that are brought up by each issue, and the way the representations of the President changed over time as the stories developed. This is contextualized by considering Chile’s recent history and some of the social, political, and economic powers that currently have a bearing on media. Finally, this paper reviews how several Media Studies theoretical frameworks could be used to understand this coverage, discussing its implications for issues of democracy and participation.
Media, politics, power, Chile, President Michelle Bachelet, democracy, civic participation, Cultural Studies, public sphere
