UCSD Department of Communication alumnus Harry L. Simón Salazar has published his first book, Television, Democracy, and the Mediatization of Chilean Politics. The book examines how televised political advertising that was broadcast in 1988, during Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship, influenced the transition to civilian rule and helped transform Chilean political culture.
“The book is part of my general interest in the mediatization of politics and how media can be used for political change,” explains Simón Salazar. “Whether we’re looking at the movements of the 1960s and 70s, or more recent political mobilizations such as the anti-H.R. 4437 protests, the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, #YoSoy132, Black Lives Matter, and even Trumpism – I have found that the mediatization of politics is a useful framework for developing a critical understanding of how media can influence political culture.”
