Media Accountability in Chile: The ‘Oral Tradition’ as a Self-Regulation Instrument

Abstract

The concept of media accountability encompasses the responsibility of the media toward the audiences as well as the mechanisms and instruments that can be used to hold media accountable to citizens in a democratic society. However, from its public function, the press cannot fulfill its regulatory functions and may create damage without violating the law. Through media accountability instruments, journalists can safeguard the quality of their work, strengthen their ethical compliance, and gain public trust to restore their credibility, legitimacy, and reputation. This study seeks to understand, from the perspective of media directors and editors in Chile, the extent of knowledge and perception of media accountability indicators of the press in Chile, particularly self-regulation, given the limited number of studies on this subject. Based on an exploratory study using qualitative methodology, we conducted eleven semistructured interviews with media professionals from the country’s television, newspapers, radio, and digital platforms. They shared their perspectives on self-regulation mechanisms present in Chilean media. The findings revealed that these mechanisms are characterized by a prevalence of orality as a tool for self-regulation, absence of other mechanisms such as those described in the literature, and identification of elements that are not part of media accountability instruments.