Television and Democratization in Mexico

Despite having operated under the pretense of democracy for the entirety of its 71-years of single party rule, Mexico was not a democratic state. From 1929 to 2000 Mexico was ruled by a single authoritarian regime, the PRI. Part of the PRI's long-lasting success came from its close relationship with what was Mexico's only private television network (Televisa). During most of the PRI's rule, Televisa news coverage had been heavily biased in favor of the ruling party. This book examines the relationship between television campaign coverage and the later stages of Mexico's transition to democracy. It is the contention of this book that the media, and in particular television, was a driving force behind Mexico's democratization. But this is not the entire story. Without the 1993 privatization of Mexico's television market, this change may not have come about. Unless the markets in which mass media operate are open and competitive, the media will not function in a manner that is conducive to democratization. This book examines television's capacity to influence political behavior and also how media content can be shaped by market structure.