ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the Brazilian media system in its regional, geographic and historical context. It considers the impact of the turbulent political environment since 2013 on the media system and on how information is disseminated to and shared by the public. The media’s role in the public sphere and its accessibility, guaranteeing freedom of expression and the right to information are crucial to support democracy. The relationship between communication and democracy can be investigated using numerous approaches. The lack of an independent regulatory body for broadcasting services means Brazil did not have a centralized collection of data on the media sector, so information is not always accurate or robust. In Brazil, the media system has economic strengths arising from the commercial sector, which has been successfully growing since the 1960s, but the weakness is that this development has occurred without a regulatory body to guarantee pluralism and diversity and without stimulus to the operation of Public Service Media.
