Neoliberalism and creation of “common sense”: educational crisis and mass media in Chile

During the last three decades, different Chilean governments, both during Pinochet´s dictatorshipand the current democratic period, have incorporated and consolidated market mechanisms in thefunctioning and management of education at different levels. The media is a central agent in thecreation of ‘common sense’ and the diffusion of hegemonic discourses throughout society. Thisarticle analyses the educational discourse of the two main newspapers in Chile, La Tercera and ElMercurio, during the process of debate and negotiation of the current educational act. The firstsection offers a literature review of the way in which media treats education. The followingsection presents the political context around which quasi-market policies were implemented inChile and their subsequent lost of legitimation. Finally, the third section analyses the discourse ofthe media surrounding the educational crisis in Chile. In respect to this, these newspapers defendthat the quasi-market model has not yet been correctly implemented, but that those policies arethe correct ones in order to improve education. This thesis is supported by three key argumentsoutlined by the media: the processes of decentralisation and transfer of autonomy to educationalagents has been insufficient; a state of imperfect competition remains between schools; and,lastly, education has been captured by teachers and their unions, impeding the improvement ofthe system