Transparency and participation in public service television broadcasters: The American southern cone

Abstract

Public service televisions must face a double challenge in the scope of accountability. On the one hand, the need of providing the citizens with all the data related to the institution’s daily activities. On the other hand, the requirement of making the production stages transparent in order to prove the degree of compliance and commitment to a quality service. This paper analyzes the information available on the websites of the public service televisions in the American Southern Cone, meaning Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. When it comes to performance, the fulfilment of these indicators can be concluded as unsatisfactory, even though transparency in audiovisual corporations becomes one of the most appreciated intangible values that enable the television public service to regain credibility.