VII Regional EACD Lisbon Debate over the topic "Communication Evaluation: what’s beyond AVE" 19th may 2011, presentation by Tânia Soares, ERC

1. Evaluating, monitoring and
supervising media activity in
Portugal - methods and tools
Communication Evaluation: What is Beyond AVE?
Lisbon, May 19th
TÂNIA de MORAIS SOARES*
ERC and ISCTE
Lisbon , May 19th, 2011
European Association of Communication Directors (EACD)

2. ERC’s regulatory mission
Portuguese Media Regulatory Authority (ERC)
ERC's main functions and powers are to regulate and supervise the
Portuguese media.
In performing its functions, ERC is responsible for ensuring constitutional
and legal rights and duties, among others, freedom of press, right to
information, independence from political and economical powers and the
confrontation of different points of view, checking compliance with the
standards for media and broadcast contents and promoting the regular and
effective functioning of the market in which it operates.
ERC was therefore created as a guarantee of respect and protection of the
public, particularly the younger and more sensitive ones; and to ensure
individual rights, liberties and guarantees, impartiality and transparency in
the media.
Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/estatutos-da-erc

3. To ensure an effective evaluation and monitoring of
the media under its supervision, has implemented
a comprehensive set of methods and tools for
content analysis and verification of media legal
obligations whose results can be found on its Web
site (www.erc.pt)
Television Radio
Print Press Online media

4. Process of Investigation (www.erc.pt)
Input Requests Tools
Citizens Reports and complaints web form, e-mail or mail
Regulated Media Licenses, permissions and
complaints
web form, e-mail, mail or
web gate (limited access)
Polls and Surveys
Companies
Accreditation, permissions
and complaints
web form , e-mail, mail or
web gate (limited access)
Internal Initiative Decision of the Regulatory
Board
or
as a result of content
monitoring and verification
of media legal obligations
Several (let's see…)

5. Citizens Input
 Individuals - right to reply and complaints
 Institutions - right to reply, political reply and
complaints
Main subjects:
Political Pluralism
Political Independence
Humor
Religion
Football
Violence
Sensationalism
Protection of Minors
Discrimination
Image and Reputation
Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/deliberacoes

7.  Companies - records,
permissions and
complaints
 Journalists - complaints
Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/balcao-virtual
Regulated media input
Main subjects:
Rights of journalists:
free access to information sources
political or economical pressures
Unfair Competition
Advertising
Registration
Licenses
(Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/deliberacoes)

8. Regulated media – Pluralism
Media Ownership Transparency Portal
The information contained on the website
Media Ownership Transparency Portal
are those that were available to the Portuguese Media Regulation
Authority (ERC) by covered entities.
Data currently available on the Portal does not, yet, include all
media operators and owners. The groups and the media presented
were selected because of their size or importance, either nationally
or regionally. The Portal will include in the near future, all media
recorded at ERC.
It is therefore accessible to all interested parties a range of
information on the ownership of the portuguese media.
Source: www.erc.pt/pt/transparencia
No concentration of media ownership

10. Regulated media – Pluralism
No concentration of media ownership

11. Internal Initiative - Decision of the Regulatory
Board:
Sorce: http://www.erc.pt/pt/conselho-regulador
Verification of media legal obligations:
Advertisement of TV programming – schedule -
respect for broadcasting ethics
Defense of the Portuguese Language
European and Independent Production
Advertising Insertion on TV
Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/estudos-e-publicacoes/relatorios-de-regulacao

12. Internal Initiative
Content monitoring and Media statistics:
Pluralism, diversity and journalism accuracy and ethics on
TV channels (online and offline)
Pluralism, diversity and journalism accuracy and ethics on
Radio frequencies (online and offline)
Pluralism, diversity and journalism accuracy and ethics in
Press - print editions (online and offline)
Area Supervisor: Estrela Serrano
Area Coordinator: Tânia de Morais Soares
Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/estudos-e-publicacoes

13. Content monitoring and Media statistics:
Main subjects:
Political Pluralism
Political independence
Economical independence
Journalism accuracy
Journalism ethics
Protection of minors – Children‘s media exposure
Violence - victim’s media exposure – innocence presumption
Discrimination (religious, political or generated by
color, ethnic or national origin, gender or sexual orientation)
Image and reputation
Intimacy and privacy reserve
Media literacy
Media Reception – audiences and public profile
Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/estudos-e-publicacoes

14. Internal Initiative – methods and tools
Content monitoring and Media statistics:
comprehensive set of methods and tools
Main content source: Marktest/
Mediamonitor – Telenews
Telenews - News - audiovisual contents
SPSS software – data analysis
Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/estudos-e-publicacoes/relatorios-de-regulacao

15. Telenews - News - audiovisual contents

16. Telenews - News - audiovisual contents

17. Telenews - News - audiovisual contents

18. SPSS software – data analysis
Main groups of variables:
News Subjects
News Players
Information Sources
Hierarchy – rankings
Children’s media coverage
Immigration and ethnic group’s media coverage
Disabled media coverage
Violent content
Sexual content
Advertorials and self-promotion
Others that identify legislation transgressions
Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/estudos-e-publicacoes/relatorios-de-regulacao

19. Content monitoring and Media statistics: Presentation
Results
Decisions, recommendations and guidelines of the Regulatory
Board
Research and publications
Annual Political Pluralism Reports
Annual Regulation Reports – and market indicators
Source: http://www.erc.pt/pt/estudos-e-publicacoes

23. Thanks to:
European Association of Communication Directors
(EACD);
EACD Regional Coordinator for Portugal, Rui Martins;
ERC Regulatory Board, Azeredo Lopes and Estrela
Serrano;
Media Monitoring and Statistics Unit, team members.
Lisbon, May 19th, 2011

24. Evaluating, monitoring and supervising media activity in Portugal - methods and tools
*Tânia de Morais Soares ERC/ISCTE-IUL
Sociologist. Head of Division of the Media Monitoring and Statistics Unit, in the Portuguese Media
Regulation Authority (ERC). Doctoral student and invited lecturer at ISCTE-IUL. Master in
Communication, Culture and Information Technology. Previously was Researcher in Sociology of
Communication at ISCTE-IUL and lecturer at the following Portuguese universities: PIAGET, INP,
ESCS and ISCTE-IUL.
Contact: tania.soares@erc.pt
Please respect presentation Copyright
Communication Evaluation: What is Beyond AVE? Lisbon, May 19th
European Association of Communication Directors (EACD)
The opinions and information contained herein are binding only on the author