Nowadays Technology and the Media are, automatically, linked. The Media evolved, mostly, due to the evolving of the new technologies. In Portugal, the government has always controlled the Media and that hasn’t changed now.
When the Media were starting to be introduced, Portugal was a country with a considerate level of illiterate people (15%). For that reason, was hard to have an impact on the general audience. Portuguese people, as a result of this illiteracy level, have always been, mostly, informed, by the TV and the Radio. Media that offered easier access to information and entertainment, without having to know how to read. People could just see or listen.
Portugal went through a strict politic before the 70’s, a dictatorship. The country was supressed by tyranny and aggression about everything that was against the government. Therefore, the Media haven’t evolved before the 70’s. Portugal’s mass communication haven’t change much until the 1974. Later the new government abolished the censorship and the Portuguese Media were free to publish whatever they wanted, on press. On the early 90’s all the newspapers were owned by privately held companies. In 1999 only one newspaper was owned only by journalists- “O Correio da Manhã”.
Later in the 90s, after struggling with the government due to the programs that were shown on TV, like reality shows with sex sections and etc, Portugal’s Media formed a “self-governing” so they can be their own authority, completely separated from the High Authority. The private companies started here, embracing channels like SIC and TVI. Although these companies have become private RTP still is a state company, it is and it has been since 1935.
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