Exploring the relationship between corporate networks and varieties of media capture

Abstract

Large corporations and media companies can form corporate networks through directors who hold positions on multiple boards, potentially enabling business elites to influence the media. This article investigates the relationship between corporate networks and media capture in two Latin American countries. We performed a network analysis of interlocking directorates to uncover these corporate networks, and conducted in-depth interviews with elites to identify two varieties of media capture: coordinated and competitive. Our findings indicate that media companies embedded in cohesive corporate networks are subject to coordinated media capture, whereas media outlets in fragmented corporate networks experience competitive media capture.