Networks, Society, and Polis: Epistemological Approaches on Mediatization

Discussing mediatization of politics based on the portuguese case 137 While the model of minimal State intervention in the media sector, defending the privatization of Portuguese public media, has been the dominant perspective of the right-wing par- ties (PSD and CDS), the expansionist model, which defends an intervention and regulation of the sector by the State, has been a component of the discourse of the left parties (PS, CDU, BE) (CONDE, 2019). Therefore, in addition to the traditional histori - cal relationship between the media and political parties based on a coalition around the parties of power, political alliances are an important factor in the media business – especially in a market whose media business is weak and as volatile as the Por- tuguese, and this need may also offer clues to explain the preva- lence of the right in commentary in Portugal. V – Conclusion The internet and television channels that operate 24 hours a day have changed the character and the content of infor- mation programs and made commentary a structuring compo- nent of information nights. The emphasis given to the comment can be explained, at least, by three intersecting orders of reason. The emphasis given to the comment can be explained, at least, by three intersecting orders of reason. The commentary is a con- tent that helps to fill the information spaces, it is a competitive element in the dispute for audiences, and it is an instance that helps to think the world, constituting itself as a component in the democratic communicative process. This context helps to explain why the comment has be- come a space of power in Portugal and a privileged place to ana- lyze the relationship between the media and politics. The study carried out, then, allows us to conclude that the complexity of the Portuguese media landscape – which is based on a clientele tradition between politics and the media , and, simultaneously, an affirmation of the editorial autonomy of journalism – can ex - plain the composition of the comment in the newscasts of prime time . In this way, media independence and political sponsorship are both factors that explain how prime-time commentary has evolved in Portugal.