ABSTRACT
The opening of TV Globo, described in the previous chapter, has had important implications for the quality of political representation in Brazil. This chapter investigates how the transformation of Brazil’s most important news organization has affected election coverage and, as a result, the performance of elections as vertical mechanisms of control. I analyze the role of TV Globo in the first five presidential elections of the new democracy (1989, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006). I argue that TV Globo’s process of opening has been characterized by significant shifts in election news coverage, which in turn have improved the quality of political accountability.
