Resumo
Media watchers are recent actors on the Latin American media scene, including the Brazilian one. However, there are examples of monitoring activity spread around the entire continent. Over and above contributing to the improvement of mass media, the observatories help to diff use a culture of critical consumption of information. That contributes to the development of democracy by promoting values such as transparency, freedom and citizenship. This article refl ects, initially, on the conditions of the Brazilian media market. Following that, it evaluates the obstacles to the dissemination of a media criticism culture. At a third moment, the focus is amplifi ed and a profi le of Latin American media watchers is provided, emphasizing characteristics in common and aspects that distinguish them.Os direitos autorais dos artigos publicados nesta revista são de propriedade dos autores, com direitos de primeira publicação para o periódico. Em virtude da aparecerem nesta revista de acesso público, os artigos são de uso gratuito, com atribuições próprias, para fins educacionais e não-comerciais.
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