"We investigate how dominant media networks can manipulate voters in young democracies. During the first presidential election after the democratic transition in Brazil, TV Globo, the largest and most-watched network in the country, unexpectedly manipulated the news coverage of the last debate 2 day
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s before the decisive second round. In a video segment, Globo unfavorably depicted the left-wing candidate, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Using the geographical distribution of broadcaster-specific TV signals and the timing of election events, we identify the effect of the manipulation net of the effect of the debate itself, showing that Globo’s misleading reporting caused Lula to lose millions of votes. Our results showcase how the media can reshape an election in a single stroke, especially where the media is concentrated and politically inexperienced voters have few other sources of information." (Abstract)
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"Dem Klappentext zufolge will diese juristische Dissertationsschrift eine interdisziplinäre "Pionierarbeit, die das brasilianische Medienrecht als solches darlegt und mit der Realität seiner Umsetzung konfrontiert", sein. Im ersten Teil (95 Seiten) stellt die Autorin die Medienlandschaft, ihre Ent
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stehung und ihre Hauptakteure vor und führt einige Beispiele zu ihrem Einfluss im politischen und gesellschaftlichen Leben Brasiliens auf. Im zweiten Teil (75 Seiten) behandelt sie die brasilianische Verfassung, die darin verankerten Grundrechte, und die verfassungsrechtlichen Rechtswege zum Schutz der Grundrechte. Der dritte Teil (180 Seiten) behandelt "das Recht der Sozialkommunikation und ihre übergreifenden Rechte". Dabei werden alle für die Medienregulierung relevanten Bestimmungen aufgeführt: Pressefreiheit, Urheberrecht, Persönlichkeits- und Jugendschutz, Regelung der Wahlberichterstattung, Lizenzvergabe und Organisation der Regulierungsbehörden, journalistische Selbstregulierung, Bestimmungen zu Internet- und Multimediakommunkationsdienstleistungen, die nationale Filmförderpolitik, Werbung und Verbraucherschutz, Anti-Monopol-Bestimmungen u.a. Leider geht diese Fleißarbeit (933 Fußnoten!) aber nicht über das Stadium einer Datensammlung hinaus. So werden zwar verschiedene Fallstudien vorgestellt wie etwa eine Klage gegen den Fernsehsender Record, der 2005 in reißerischer Aufmachung das Schicksal eines leukämiekranken Kindes zur Schau gestellt hatte. Die Klagebegründung wird ausführlich dargestellt, warum es aber zu einem faktischen Freispruch des beklagten Senders kommen konnte, analysiert Camargos Becker nicht. Hinzu kommt, dass die zusammengetragenen Daten etwa zur Medienlandschaft unvollständig und manchmal auch falsch sind, z.B. ist Radio nicht das meistgenutzte Medium in Brasilien. Immerhin: wer sich einen Überblick über die Gesetzeslage und Regulierungsbestimmungen verschaffen will, wird in dieser Arbeit fündig." (commbox)
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"This paper studies the link between television and divorce in Brazil by exploiting variation in the timing of availability of the signal of Rede Globo—the network that had a virtual monopoly on telenovelas in the country—across municipal areas. Using three rounds of Census data (1970, 1980 and
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1991) and controlling for area fixed effects and for time-varying characteristics, the paper finds that the share of women who are separated or divorced increases significantly after the Globo signal becomes available. The effect is robust to controlling for potential determinants of Globo’s entry strategy and is stronger for relatively smaller areas, where the signal reaches a higher fraction of the population." (Abstract)
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"What are the effects of television, and of role models portrayed in TV programs, on individual behavior? We focus on fertility choices in Brazil, a country where soap operas (novelas) portray families that are much smaller than in reality. We exploit differences in the timing of entry into differen
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t markets of Rede Globo, the network that has an effective monopoly on novelas production in this country. Using Census data for the period 1970-1991, we find that women living in areas covered by the Globo signal have significantly lower fertility. The effect is strongest for women of lower socioeconomic status and for women in the central and late phases of their fertility cycle, consistent with stopping behavior. The result is robust to placebo treatments and does not appear to be driven by selection in Globo entry. Finally, we provide suggestive evidence that novelas, and not just television, affected individual choices. First, people living in areas covered by the signal were more likely to name their children after novela characters. Second, entry of a network that relied on imported shows did not have a significant impact on fertility. Third, the impact of Globo presence was strongest for women close in age to the main novela characters." (Abstract)
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Firmenportrait des brasilianischen Medienkonzerns.
"In analyzing Brazilian television, the corporatist framework helps explain how Television Globo has achieved more autonomy and power in government decision making than one might expect in a media system usually described simply as authoritarian. The mixture of corporatism with mass politics is nece
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ssary, however, for understanding how Television Globo's hegemony, combined with that of the state, could still be temporarily undermined by a mass campaign for direct selections and civilian rule. The corporatist model may also be helpful in analyzing the current use of alternative media, particularly videocassette recorders, by opposition groups." (Abstract)
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