[ecrea] Book announcement: Journalism in Latin America: Journalistic Culture of Ecuador

Oller, Martín (2016). Journalism in Latin America: Journalistic Culture 
of Ecuador. Granada: EDICSO.

This book presents the analysis of the journalistic culture of Ecuador 
as representative of the Andean region and Latin America. Since the last 
two decades of the twentieth century, a steady increase in research in 
journalism has focused on the analysis of the journalist and their 
products – contents. However, it is only relatively recently that it has 
also taken into account the context in which the environment and the 
various systems – political, economic, social, cultural, media, 
technological, etc. – surrounding the journalists and the media are present.

This decontextualized perspective has been, and is being, much 
criticised for being reductionist, partial and homogeneous. For these 
reasons, and for others which will be discussed throughout the book, 
this study includes the work of journalists, their perceptions and their 
professional practices as integrated activities in a characteristic 
context and with a unique idiosyncrasy.

Based on this idea, it attempts to show a vision, as closely as 
possible, of the journalistic culture of Ecuador and the professionals 
who are immersed in it. To this end, from a multilevel analysis, we 
analyse the dimensions of 1) self-perception of the professional role, 
2) idea of objectivity, 3) ethical guidance, 4) perception of autonomy, 
5) trust level in institutions, and 6) assessment of the influencing 
factors.

The study is based on theoretical foundations, in order to subsequently 
focus on the “operationalizing” – how to empirically measure the 
theoretical proposals – and the “empirical conceptualisation” – how to 
theoretically explain the practices and standards – of the journalistic 
culture of Ecuador.

The book is structured in three parts. In the first of them (chapters I 
and II) the concept of Journalistic Cultures and its implications to the 
communication and studies in the area is developed and an approach to 
the concept and the reality of the journalistic culture characteristic 
of Latin America as a region is carried out. The second part of the work 
(chapters III to VI) begins with the location and contextualization of 
our object of study, the journalistic and communicative reality of 
Ecuador. Not only some of the great features that define the 
journalistic culture of the Andean country, but also the media system in 
which it is encompassed and its implications for our subject of study 
are analysed on these pages. In this regard, it is important to mention 
the new Ecuadorian law (Law of Communication, June 25, 2013), since it 
has come to change the communication system of the country and its 
relationship with both the political power and the society itself. These 
chapters also develop two of the current debates in Ecuador: the 
professionalization process on which journalism has been embarked and 
the proposal to incorporate communication as a public service.

This theoretical basis will allow the reader to reach the third part of 
the book (chapters VII to XIII) with sufficient conceptualizations and 
context management to delve into each of the dimensions of the 
journalistic culture addressed. After a methodological and conceptual 
framework explanation of this Journalistic Cultures of Ecuador project, 
the results of the same are thoroughly analysed in each of the following 
chapters. Thus, the project addresses the main factors that Ecuadorian 
journalists perceive to be the most influential in their daily work and 
the performance of the functions of the media in which they work; the 
perception that they have of the roles and functions that their 
profession meets today; ethical guidelines that lead their profession; 
the degree of autonomy with which they feel they develop journalism in 
Ecuador and the level of trust that the various public and private 
institutions in Ecuador deserve, analysed in relation to public 
(dis)trust in these institutions.

Copies can be ordered here: 
http://macasarediciones.es/producto/journalism-in-latin-america/

For any further information please contact with Dr. Martín Oller Alonso 
((martin.olleralonso /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(martin.olleralonso /at/ gmail.com)>), 
Professor of University of Americas; Professor of the Master in 
Journalism of the Faculty of Journalism at the University of La Habana; 
Executive Committee Member Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS); Coordinator 
for Latin America and Ecuador (http://www.worldsofjournalism.org/); 
Journalistic Role Performance around the World Project Member 
(http://www.journalisticperformance.org/); Chair of the /Culturas 
Periodísticas/ Project (http://culturasperiodisticas.com/)



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