Media Watchers: A Profile of Press Criticism in Latin America

Media watchers are recent actors on the Latin American media scene, including the Brazilian one. However, there are examples of monitoring activity spread around the entire continent. Over and above contributing to the improvement of mass media, the observatories help to diff use a culture of critical consumption of information. That contributes to the development of democracy by promoting values such as transparency, freedom and citizenship. This article refl ects, initially, on the conditions of the Brazilian media market. Following that, it evaluates the obstacles to the dissemination of a media criticism culture. At a third moment, the focus is amplifi ed and a profi le of Latin American media watchers is provided, emphasizing characteristics in common and aspects that distinguish them.