The influence of the thematic beat in the presence of the civic and the infotainment journalistic roles in the Chilean press: a crosslongitudinal study between 1990 and 2010

Abstract

Important political, social and technological transformations during the last decades have affected both media systems and the journalistic profession in Latin America. Based on a crosslongitudinal content analysis (N = 2,431) of news published in the printed national Chilean press between 1990 and 2010, this study analyzes the evolution of the presence of the civic and the infotainment roles in the news, as well as the influence that the thematic beat has in the presence of both professional roles across time. The results show significant differences in the presence of both professional roles depending on the principal topic of the news, as well as the influence – at different levels - of the time as a variable, as well as the media audience orientation (elite or popular), in the put in practice of these roles.