Independencia política como parámetro de calidad en las televisiones públicas: el caso de Canal Sur Televisión

Political independence as a parameter of quality in public television: the case of Canal Sur Televisión

Abstract

The politicisation of public media and television is a recurrent topic of debate and is used to the detriment of the public function of these media. For this reason, the political independence of public channels is considered a parameter of quality, since their sustenance is based on offering alternative content that is scarce in the traditional media. Likewise, this existence is supported by Article 20 of the Spanish Constitution, which protects the fundamental right to information so that citizens receive truthful information through these media. Although the concept of truthfulness is very broad, information that is partisan or guided by political interests will never fall within this definition.

The aim of this paper is to verify whether content with political undertones on public television favors the governing party.

For this purpose, we have chosen Canal Sur Televisión and, specifically, the programme that brings in the largest audience, La Tarde, aquí y ahora, produced by Indaloymedia.

The methodology used was the analysis of a sample of programmes using the technique of expert key informants. In addition, a random questionnaire was used among journalists, choosing a quantitative and qualitative methodology and employing a structural approach based on the Political Economy of Information and Communication.

The results indicate that the contents broadcast in the ‘Current Affairs’ section of the programme analysed do not benefit the party in power; what is more, most of the topics that would in some way harm a political party are related to the majority group in government. We conclude that the politicisation that is denounced and that supposedly benefits the ruling party does not occur in this programme.