Educational Media Reviews Online

El Mercurio is Chile's "newspaper of record" and the country's largest news organization. At the helm since 1956 is Augustín Edwards Eastman, the most recent member of the Edwards family to run the paper since the family purchased it in 1849. This is a groundbreaking documentary because it is the first to investigate the role and influence of this powerful newspaper during the time of the election of Salvador Allende in 1970, the coup of 1973 that overthrew his socialist government, and the subsequent 17 years under Pinochet's dictatorship. Following a group of journalism students as they conduct interviews for their thesis, director/producer Ignacio Agüero explores human rights violations by Pinochet's military junta, misinformation and propaganda disseminated by El Mercurio, connections between the U.S. Government and El Mercurio, and first hand accounts of victims or their families and friends, government officials, and former El Mercurio journalists and staff.

The film is in Spanish with English subtitles. Most but not all words in the subtitles are translated into English. Archival film and photos are used throughout the film. Video and audio are professionally done. The film is divided into 7 segments that were not presented in any apparent order. An introduction to this time period in Chilean history would have been a great asset to those who are not familiar with the events and persons covered in the documentary. Therefore, background reading or discussion prior to watching the film is recommended. The investigative work and research that was done for this film presents an impressive array of primary sources. This is an important exposition on power and corruption in the media and the tragic human rights violations of thousands of Chileans.

Awards

• 2009 Latin American Studies Association Award of Merit in Film