Hopes%20and%20sorrow:%2050%20years%20of%20professional%20journalism

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Hopes and sorrow 50 years of professional
journalism

• Abraham Santibáñez
• Periodista
• Universidad Diego Portales
• 2006

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El gran salto adelante

• Half a century ago, our journalism gave a big
  leap forward.

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Un Colegio y la Universidad

• Many years of efforts, made by many well known
  journalists ended in the approval of a law that
  created the Colegio de Periodistas. Some years
  before, another legal modification made possible
  the teaching of Journalism at university level.

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• In a short period of time, both the Universidad
  de Chile and the Universidad de Concepción,
  started in 1953 courses in Journalism. On July
  the 11th, 1956, the Colegio de Periodistas was
  created officially by law.

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They loved their profession...

• These two facts were the coronation of a long
  fight to get the recognition of journalism as a
  profession. Or, as many journalists used to say
  a fight to dignify the profession. 
• They came from very different backgrounds. But
  they have a deep sense of responsibility. They
  loved what they did. They thought their mission
  was to get people truthful informed, with
  loyalty and on time.

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..and were loved by chileans

• Chilean society took them seriously. Ours was a
  small, democratic country. Journalists were taken
  into consideration as a vital part of our daily
  existence. Citizens needed them.
• That is why so many well known journalists are
  remembered through the years.

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Who were they?

• Lenka Franulic, Luis Hernández Párker, Tito
  Mundt, René Silva Espejo, Carlos Silva Vildósola,
  Juan Emilio Pacull, Mario Planet, among many
  others.

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The big nightmare

• From those years, chilean history has had many
  vicissitudes. After that very quiet time the
  50s-, we lived through the revolutionary 60s
  and the final crisis of democracy in the 70s
  till the bloody military coup, on September 11th,
  1973, our Nine eleven.

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Hard times

• Starting that day, journalists began to suffer
  the longest and hardest period of repression and
  censorship of our history. All media that were
  not unconditionally pro dictatorship were
  closed. Later, during the military government ,
  when some opposition papers were authorized, they
  have to work under severe restrictions
  censorship, clausuras, internal exile, beating
  and even death were the price.

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Democracia difícil

• When we returned to democracy, there were some
  new characteristics
• 1.- The emergence of a new kind of journalism in
  our country, under the shadow ot the duopoly
  (El Mercurio and Copesa), the biggest publishers.
• 2.- The disappearance of all opposition media to
  Pinochet.
• 3.- The public indifference mainly during the
  first years of democracy- regarding investigative
  journalism.

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Trying to get an explanation

• You can find many explanations to understand what
  happened in Chile during and inmediately after
  dictatorship.
• One explanation is the success Pinochet and his
  men had convincing many chileans that human
  right violations were his enemies inventions

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Friends of Pinochet

• Another explanation is the natural gratitude from
  the duopolio (El Mercurio y Copesa). They were
  spared from bankrapcy by Pinochet through the
  Banco del Estado. And you have to have in mind
  the fact that for most of the 90s Pinochet was
  still Commander in Chief of the Army. He had
  threatened If any of my men is touched, that
  will meant the end of the rule of law

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The London affair

• This abnormal situation was bound to end... some
  day.
• It end came unexpectedly in 1998 when Pinochet,
  after leaving his post as commander in chief,
  went to London and there was arrested.

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New times in Chile

• After a long debate, Pinochet was set free, by
  reason of health, of mental health. He was
  received in triumph at his arrival, but he was no
  more the strong man he used to be. His detention
  was a milestone at long last, public opinion in
  Chile, was free from fear.
• In journalism, the best expression was the
  starting of The Clinic, a new publication.

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New breed of commentators

• The Clinic changed that. At the same time, there
  were other signs more investigative reporting on
  TV, less self-censorship and both in the press
  and the broadcast media- a new kind of
  commentators los opinólogos.,

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The new Ley de Prensa

• More important, in a very legalistic country,
  after many years of delays, finally, in 2000, we
  have a new Press Law. After many years, it has a
  positive accent to promote the freedom of
  expression. That is why, after all, we can look
  with optimism to the future. The way our founding
  fathers look at the future of journalism at the
  beginning of the republic. And more recently, the
  dream Lenka, Lucho, Juan Emilio and the others
  had when they fighted for the Colegio and the
  University.

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It has been a long and difficult road.

• We have mentioned already the weak reaction of
  many of our countrymen when we faced censorship,
  closing and media restrictions. It was more
  comfortable to ignore what was going on and took
  refuge in the idea that journalists were lying
  when we talked of abuses and crimes. It was easy
  to think of us as antipatriotas.

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The first positive changes

• From his arrival to the Palacio de La Moneda,
  President Patricio Aylwin made and effort to end
  any legal restriction. But there were many
  obstacles. He was only able to have a law that
  changed some excesses, like the power of military
  courts over journalists.

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Still there are some shadows

• But we have to wait eight years before the big
  change the Ley de Prensa. But only last year,
  when there was and agreement to change the
  Constitution, we can say that we live in a
  country were we are really free to express
  ourselves.
• It is a good law. But still there are some
  shadows. The most important one is the attitude
  of public opinion. Our society is still afraid of
  freedom. We are still afraid of speaking freely.

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Whose responsibilty?

• We still are afraid of people that there to
  contradict official versions or authorities. But,
  the worst, in my experience, is that we do no
  appreciate media and journalists as we used to
  do. Chileans discovered that authorities had lied
  to them. But they choose and to some extent,
  still do- to make responsible the messenger.

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Self control the answer

• Today, what we really need are critical readers,
  radio listeners and TV viewers. On this point,
  both the media owners and the journalist agree on
  one point we do not need more laws. What we
  really need is responsibility. We do have
  self-control mechanism, but not many people know
  them.

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• And, as long as there is no enough pressure, many
  journalist will continue forgeting the dreams and
  hopes of Lenka, Luis, Juan Emilio and the others.