..And Well Tied Down: Chile's Press Under Democracy [Hardcover]

Ken Leon-Dermota (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2003

Collaborators of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet took over Chile's news media as part of an endeavor to promote the ideology of the dictatorship during times of democracy. To support this claim, Leon-Dermota offers a complete examination of Chile's media and political and economic bases that no political science, economic, or media studies work has done. Finding that much of Chile's power-brokering occurs outside of the political playing field, Leon-Dermota shows why left-of-center governments elected since 1990 have been powerless to advance programs or policies not approved by Chile's power elite, which comprises most industry, the rightmost Roman Catholic service organizations, and the media--with the goal of imposing an ideology descended from fascist Spain under Francisco Franco.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Until now no one had fully explored the role of the press (particularly El Mercurio, published in Santiago, Chile) in the CIA-orchestrated overthrow of Chile's Marxist president Salvador Allende. Using information gained as a consultant on six Chilean newspapers, in numerous interviews, and from content analysis, Leon-Dermota names names and provides facts and anecdotal evidence about one of the most disgraceful periods in the history of journalism....A harmonious blend of hard facts backed up by tables of hard-to-come-by data, the author's personal accounts, and interesting and revealing vignettes of key players, the book is indispensable to the growing literature showing media's attachment worldwide to power (governments, military) and money (corporations) at the expense of people. Essential. All collections; all readers.”–Choice

“Never has there been such an investigation of the press, no study so complete. It will prove itself to be a transcendent, enduring work that will be quoted and consulted.”–Enrique Correa Communications Minister, Patricio Aylwin Transitional Government (1990-1994)

“Dermota has done what all of Chilean journalism has failed to do.”–Faride Zeran Dean, School of Journalism, University of Chile

“With this analysis of the role of the media in Chile's democratic transition, Ken Dermota has opened a vitally important and heretofore unexplored line of inquiry into Chilean politics. Using the control of media access as his main departure point, Dermota offers a careful and penetrating explanation for why domestic debates about Chilean democracy have been more muted than in other democratizing countries in the region. This insightful book is a must for any introductory course in Latin American politics, as it sheds light on one of the most important aspects of democracy itself. I highly recommend it.”–Carol Wise Associate Professor, School of International Relations, University of Southern California

About the Author

KEN LEON-DERMOTA is an Editor for Agence France-Presse, in Washington, D.C. He is the author of Chile Inedito (2002), and has contributed to Business Week, National Public Radio, and The Christian Science Monitor.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (August 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275975908
• ISBN-13: 978-0275975906
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,815,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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