Television Trust
The Latinobarometer regularly meaures in which institutions do Latin Americans hold the most “confianza” (confidence, trust). In 2005, the top three institutions, and only ones above 50%, were the fire department, the (Catholic) Church and radio (in that order). The next two are newspapers and television. Predictably, the bottom three institutions with the lowest amount of trust are Congress, Unions and political parties.
It is no wonder that political parties have looked for ways to rejuvenate themselves and improve upon this last place finish (19%). In Bolivia, politics has utilized the small screen to discover new leaders and infuse the appearance of new blood. Often in new election cycles, early polls of the declared candidates are simply based on name recognition setting the pace and can determine the success of a candidate. Often the only way to get your name out to the public is to become a famous football player or appear on television.
In the mid 1980s, Carlos Palenque was the founder of the Popular Radio Television System (RTP for its initials in Spanish). His style attracted thousands of followers by paying special attention to the poor and downtrodden. Bringing them onto his show and “solving” their problems, converted him to a revered and populist leader, who eventually created his own political party CONDEPA. He may have been one of the first media figures who used the trusting nature of television to catapult himself into politics.
In 2002, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada tapped television journalist and historian Carlos Mesa as his running mate. Many Bolivians admitted they voted for the MNR because they trusted Mesa, who was viewed as being independent and more honest. He had a nightly place in the living rooms of the entire country and didn’t appear to be cut from the same cloth as the normal politician. He eventually became President, when Sanchez de Lozada resigned. After his own resignation a year and a half later, he returned to his roots to host a history program and many think his return to politics is imminent.
During this past election cycle, the political party PODEMOS created by former president and former ADN chief Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga searched far and wide for a running mate. Already, one of the main criticisms of this new party was that it contained many recycled politicians from several declining political parties. His choice was another television news anchor, Maria Rene Duchen, who had not elicited disfavorable reactions among the populace. However, it was not enough as Tuto’s PODEMOS lost by approximately 20% in the Presidential elections.
Now, as new faces pop up in television, some believe it is a matter of time until he/she appears on a ballot.
TAG: wemedia
Trust in the media?
I often wonder how subjectivity has become so prevalent a subject in our industry. Have we all become so spoiled with “media choice” that when we don’t like information we attack it?
I remember with great fondness when Walter Cronkite was a welcomed guest in our home. All would sit quietly in an almost reverent manner listing to the evening news. With the demeanor of a trusted uncle and a calming cadence during even the most trying times, Mr. Cronkite left those in our living room with more answers than questions. Something unspoken was understood as we gathered around a small black and white TV that brought the world into our home, an assurance of sorts that everything would be all right because Mr. Cronkite was our trusted guide.
What happened? Did we all grow up, get jaded and form our own opinions or is it that others are trying to form our opinions for us? Have we become so overwhelmed with data that we need to make continued snap judgments between mouse clicks and commercials? Do you have your own modern day Walter Cronkite? Is their a calming informative voice you welcome into your home everyday?
I have what I consider the privilege of working with many diverse news organizations on multiple media platforms and the perceptions of the public with regard to impartiality differs quite substantially from those of the professionals in the newsroom and the media industry as a whole.
Why is it that the public doesn’t feel that the executives in news, programming and even the boardroom also have rights provided to them under the first amendment? Does the public perceive media executives as having less of a right to what they hold dear? Yes it’s amazing! Some in the media are Democrats, some Republican and indeed some don’t prescribe to any political party at all. I just don’t see the pervasive all encompassing Orwellian mind control being bandied about by those on the fringes. I’ve found that the majority of those I know in news, programming and the boardroom are fair, unbiased, honest, moral, and good folks who strive to be better journalists and media executives with the passing of each day. Is there an unwritten law that states that once we work in the media industry we must leave our humanity in the hands of our audience?
Trust in the media? Unfortunately the trust we enjoy is fleeting and it’s as fickle as a Nielsen Household. Say something that someone doesn’t like and trust is once again redefined by an inevitable click.
From where I’m sitting the World is not flat and the Earth rotates around the Sun. Am I biased? That now depends on you.