UC San Diego

When the social crisis erupted on October 18, 2019, Chilean broadcast television was at one of its most critical moments in recent history. The average daily viewership had been in steady decline since the beginning of the 2010s, and producers were struggling with the migration of advertising revenue to streaming and digital platforms. Following the outbreak of the crisis, television saw an increase in viewership and average viewing time, reaching 4 hours in October 2019. News content increased by 3% to meet this demand, and overall television programming shifted to a more political focus, replacing presenters with journalists and dedicating more time to discussing current events and interviewing authorities, even in shows that had previously focused on light entertainment and celebrities. Television’s credibility, however, did not improve. Although television remained the second-most-consulted source of information after Facebook, it became the least trusted. The overwhelming criticism of television coverage of the social outburst created an atmosphere of rejection toward television figures and journalists, which became palpable in public discussion. Through protests outside TV stations, social media harassment, and multiple interruptions of live broadcasts, citizens expressed their anger toward the coverage of the mobilizations. The slogan ‘Television lies’ became the dominant descriptor of the relationship between the media and audiences. This dissertation presents the results of three years of research on the impact of the social uprising on the Chilean television system. Drawing on interviews, content analysis, and social media analysis, the findings demonstrate that Chilean television reproduced the protest paradigm by emphasizing the most disruptive aspects of the demonstrations and prioritizing the voices of the ruling coalition. Television coverage repeatedly juxtaposed damage to public and private property with police violence and human rights violations, framing them as equivalent forms of disruption. This framing contributed to the construction of a public narrative in which a return to the pre-uprising order was positioned as more desirable than any attempt at social transformation.