Media movements in times of pushback of human rights: Is everything lost?

MARÍA SOLEDAD SEGURA

Congreso; IAMCR Conference 2017; 2017

In this century, an unprecedented number of media policies grounded in the right to communication was passed in Latin America. This is a landmark in the history of the region?s media policy-making. Where those policies were passed, civil society organizations (CSOs) played critical roles. No similar period of intense mobilization and visibility is found in the past. As a result, most of the 11 broadcasting and telecommunication laws, the 17 access to information laws, and the 9 repeal of insult laws or removals of criminal penalties for defamation passed in Latin American countries during the last 15 years contain aspects that meet civic demands and international standards of communication as human right. Unquestionably, reforming regressive policies are long-term processes, but these advances are singular. (Segura and Waisbord, 2016)Nonetheless, during the last two years, new conservative rulers came to power and started reforms that pushback the advances in communication and culture rights, and revoked key aspects of the freedom of speech and information laws passed with social participation. These are the cases of Michel Temer in Brazil, who became president after the impeachment of Dilma Roussef, and Mauricio Macri in Argentina, who is the first right wing party leader elected in the history of the country.The questions I try to answer are: Is there any possibility for media movements to impact on policy-making process in these conditions? Is there still alive any of their achievements? How can CSOs defend and enlarge communication rights?If we accept that media policies are the result of complex processes that involve not only political and economic elites, but also social organizations, and public policies are not completely controlled by the State, but are also influenced by dynamic relations of state, market, and civic actors (Freedman, 2008), even in unfavorable contexts, CSOs may have the chance to impact ?at least to resist and avoid part of the regressions- on communication policies. Which are the fundamentals of this possibility? Besides the intended impact of CSOs on the content and implementation of new laws, there is another important contribution of media movements: strengthening institutional competencies of civil society related to media policy-making. It includes the honing of competencies related to mobilization and advocacy: individual and organizational expertise related to technical matters, policy-making process, and strategic thinking. (Segura & Waisbord, 2016)The hypothesis I try to demonstrate is that, amid pushback policies from conservative governments and worsening conditions for public expression in several countries, these ?unintended outcomes? (Giugni, 1998) of media movements are critical to stop human rights regressions and to expand them in communication policies. To demonstrate this, I study the case of media movements in Argentina during the last year. I interview their leaders and members, and analyze organizations and state documents and press information.This analysis can contribute to understand the strategies and opportunities of progressive media movements in contexts of pushback of human rights not only in Latin America, but also in other regions of the world were conservative rulers rise to power.First, I expose my theoretical perspective. Then, I reconstruct the characteristics of the organizations, their advocacy strategies and the impact they had on new communication policies in the Argentinean particular conditions since December 2015. Finally, I analyze how the social participation process between 2003 and 2015 had as non-expected result the institutional strengthening that made possible the fast OSC regrouping and resistance face to the new conditions.