Media Policy in the Presidencies of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva: Between the Demands of Democratization and the Imperatives of Governance

Throughout its history, the links with media democratization movements and demands have been one of the salient features of the PT. These proliferated in Brazil as a consequence of the highly concentrated and elitist media system that emerged during the democratic transition. However, as in other areas, the arrival of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to the presidency, depended on a series of compromises with the established powers in the media field. This article seeks to reconstruct the initiatives and policy options affecting the media field along the two presidencies of Lula (2003-2011). The focus is on the historical, institutional and organizational factors that shaped government decisions regarding the issue of the democratic regulation of the media. The paper begins by presenting the structuring of the media stage from the transition onwards, the emergence of the democratization demands to later analyze the positions of the PT related to the issue between its origins and the 2002 elections. It consequently discusses the institutional constraints encountered by the government, the initial attempts of accommodation and the reactions of the stakeholders involved in the democratization demands. Finally it tackles the disruption of the equilibrium that followed the Mensalao scandal that derived in a shift in government strategy towards the media field. The dynamic reconstruction of this process will allow to account for the changing conditions and power constellations that underlie the margins and opportunities for political action in the field of media democratization. Adapted from the source document.