Media performance during the “catalan process”

Resumen

This thesis analyses the processes undergone by mainstream media during the independence debate in Catalonia, focusing on the relationship among media, their audiences and governments through different empirical perspectives. It is made up of three articles. The first examines the evolution of media audiences in Catalonia based on an unpublished compilation of data and evaluates changes in their consumption patterns coinciding with periods of greater political intensity since this debate reached the political arena. It defines and proves the existence of two stable media systems, the Catalan and the Spanish systems. The second article presents the results of a content analysis of the top twelve outlets with highest consumption in Catalonia in the period 2012-15 from a framing approach, and highlights the main differences between the two systems in the tone applied to the political actors and the predominance of two specific frames designed for the analysis from the political discourse (“right to decide” and “rule of law”). Finally, the third article analyses the polarization of media audiences coinciding with the independence debate and confirms the homogenization of media audiences towards the issue.