Research Reports

12-01-2004

Local level journalism and democracy indicators in Latin America

By Fernando J. Ruiz

Contents
- The worst areas to practice journalism in Latin America.
- Improvements seen from May to November in some of the worst areas mentioned in the first report.
- Democratization of the State is still the main task to improve freedom of press.
- Press and democracy at "two speeds" in almost every country.
- Outside the black, red or brown areas of Latin America, there is a debate on a new agenda concerning limits on freedom of press and the right to information.
- Growing conceptual discussion on the political role of the media that may influence freedom of press.
- Two sides of the legislative surge on four topics directly related with the practice of journalism.

Fernando J. Ruiz is a professor of Journalism and Democracy at the School of Communication of the Austral University and Advisor for the Democratic Strengthening Area of the Centre for the Opening and Development of Latin America (CADAL). He has a Ph.D. in Public Communication from the University of Navarra where he obtained the extraordinary award for his thesis.

He is the author of the books "Las palabras son acciones: Historia política y profesional del diario La Opinión, 1971-1977" (Perfil Libros) and "Otra grieta en la pared. Informe y testimonios de la nueva prensa cubana (CADAL / Konrad Adenauer Stiftung). He coordinated the publication of the book "Prensa y Congreso: trama de relaciones y representación social" (La Crujía Ediciones).

Fernando J. Ruiz

Academic Advisor

Fernando J. Ruiz studied Political Science and earned a PhD in Communication. As a journalist and researcher he traveled and gave courses and conferences in almost all Latin American countries. He was a founding member and president of the Argentine Journalism Forum 2019-2021 and a jury member of the Colpin Award (Latin American Conference of Investigative Journalism). He was a consultant for Voces del Sur, the organization that brings together the region's main journalists' organizations. He is a full time professor and researcher at the School of Communication of Universidad Austral and a member of the National Academy of Journalism. He is the author of the following books: Las palabras son acciones. Historia política y profesional del diario La Opinión de Jacobo Timerman, 1971-1977 ("Words are Actions. Political and Professional History of the Newspaper La Opinión of Jacobo Timerman, 1971-1977") (Perfil, 2001); Otra grieta en la pared: informe y testimonios de la nueva prensa cubana ("Another crack in the Wall: Report and Testimonies of the New Cuban Press") (La Crujía, 2003); El señor de los mercados: historia de Ámbito Financiero, 1976-2001 ("The Lord of the Markets: A History of Ámbito Financiero, 1976-2001") (El Ateneo, 2005); Guerras mediáticas. Las grandes batallas periodísticas desde la Revolución de Mayo hasta la actualidad ("Media Wars. Great Journalistic Battles from the May Revolution to the Present Day") (Sudamericana, 2014); Cazadores de noticias. Doscientos años en la vida cotidiana de los periodistas ("News Hunters. Two Hundred Years in the Daily Life of Journalists") (Ariel, 2018); and Imágenes paganas: periodismo, democracia y pandemia en Argentina y América Latina ("Pagan Images: Journalism, Democracy and Pandemic in Argentina and Latin America") (Cadal/Adenauer, 2021).