A Transparência Como Dimensão da Qualidade: A Propriedade dos Média e os Desafios da (In)visibilidade

Alexandra Figueira; Elsa Costa e Silva

doi:10.17231/comsoc.44(2023).4708

Authors

Alexandra Figueira Departamento de Comunicação, Faculdade de Comunicação, Arquitetura, Artes e Tecnologias da Informação, Universidade Lusófona do Porto, Porto, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8764-5690
Elsa Costa e Silva Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Sociedade, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7215-6384

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.44(2023).4708

Keywords:

ownership, regulation, capture, economic and financial sustainability, quality of journalism

Abstract

The principle of transparency is widely accepted as a political response to concerns about the lack of pluralism and trust in journalism. With a multidimensional character, transparency in ownership is one of the most common legal requirements. The focus on media “owners” is not new, given the impact that ownership can have on the content produced. Ownership is therefore considered essential when assessing quality in journalism. In Portugal, media ownership is subject to transparency rules, requiring disclosing information about the corporate structure and financial data overseen by the Portuguese Regulatory Authority for the Media. There is no investigation into how Portuguese media companies comply with these regulations. However, analysing it could help us understand the challenges facing independent and pluralistic journalism. Thus, this study examines how the principle of media transparency is perceived in the Portuguese market, analysing non-compliance and objections to disclosing the required information. Based on the regulatory decisions, this analysis highlights the central role of scale in adapting to the new legal framework: non-compliance with declarations or requests for secrecy emanates mainly from smaller companies, especially those owning local media or specialised magazines. Financial information is also the most critical. This data points to economic weaknesses, which may raise concerns about the media’s independence from external agents. On the other hand, the principle of visibility and transparency has not significantly impacted discussions on ownership concentration or media pluralism, indicating its insufficiency as the primary policy on media ownership.

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Author Biographies

Alexandra Figueira, Departamento de Comunicação, Faculdade de Comunicação, Arquitetura, Artes e Tecnologias da Informação, Universidade Lusófona do Porto, Porto, Portugal

Alexandra Figueira is the director of the master’s degree in Communication, Marketing, and Digital Media at Universidade Lusófona — Centro Universitário do Porto and assistant director of the degree in Communication Sciences. She teaches in the areas of journalism, strategic communication, and applied communication. She was an active journalist in national media outlets in the written press for 27 years. She has a PhD in Communication Sciences from the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Minho and postgraduate qualifications in Marketing (Instituto Português de Administração de Marketing) and Economics (School of Economics at the University of Porto). Her journalistic and academic work has been honoured three times.

Elsa Costa e Silva, Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Sociedade, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal

Elsa Costa e Silva is an assistant professor at the University of Minho and a researcher at the Communication and Society Research Centre. She regularly researches and publishes on media ownership, policies and regulation. She was a journalist for 10 years at one of Portugal’s leading media organisations.

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