This session will explore the concentration of media references in Chilean political articles on Wikipedia between 2020 and 2025. The research analyzed how the most cited sources in these articles reflect patterns of media hegemony, raising important questions about the diversity and pluralism of references used in the construction of open knowledge.
The study applied a quantitative methodology to examine the five most cited media sources across 100 selected Wikipedia articles, focusing on their relevance and frequency. The results revealed a marked predominance of hegemonic media sources, with approximately 73% of the references coming from traditional national media outlets, such as La Tercera, Biobío Chile, Emol, and Cooperativa. In contrast, only around 20% of the references corresponded to alternative or independent media, while 7% derived from official or other non-media sources.
This pattern reflects the structural context of Chile’s media ecosystem, characterized by the dominance of a few conglomerates that shape public discourse and set the media agenda. Consequently, Wikipedia articles tend to reflect this same concentration, not because of intentional bias from the platform or its editors, but as a natural result of the availability and legitimacy of sources within the Chilean media landscape.
The session will address the implications of this concentration of references for Wikipedia’s commitment to reliable and verifiable content. We will discuss the challenges posed by media hegemony in achieving a balanced and diverse representation of knowledge, especially in contexts where political and social issues are deeply influenced by a few dominant media groups.
In addition, the session will propose strategies to mitigate the effects of media concentration in Wikipedia articles. These include fostering awareness among editors about the importance of diversifying references, encouraging the inclusion of alternative media with proven reliability, and promoting media literacy to better understand the dynamics behind source selection.
By sharing the findings and reflections from this research, this session aims to spark a constructive dialogue on how Wikipedia and its community can navigate the challenges of media concentration, fostering a more plural and representative coverage of political content. Participants will gain insights into how the local media landscape influences Wikipedia and how to address these issues through practical approaches and community collaboration.