So far this year, 86,500 articles about Chile have been published in the international press. Most of them have detailed economic issues and the constitutional process, followed by topics such as innovation and sustainability.
Two key issues related to Chile have dominated international media this year: the constitutional process and the economy. This is according to information released by Imagen de Chile, the foundation dedicated to promoting the positive image of the country abroad and identifying international perceptions of Chile through studies and international press analysis.
“Following the boom in international coverage seen towards the end of 2021 due to the presidential elections, 2022 has seen two peaks in the international press: one in March, with 13,100 publications, and the other in July, with 12,800. Like every year that a new government is installed, from January to March attention was drawn to the formation of the new government, and the political decisions, mistakes and successes of the president who has taken office,” states the Imagen de Chile report. The report covers a selection of 158 priority international media outlets from 18 countries around the world.
The issue most covered by the international press in the 86,500 articles published about Chile has been the economy, with a total of 16,100 publications so far this year. This is well above the 5,400 that were published in all of 2021 and the 7,400 published in 2020 in the 158 outlets selected. The media have covered matters such as the withdrawal of pension funds, the global US dollar rise, inflation and the measures taken by the Banco Central, as well as the technical recession that the Chilean economy is expected to suffer this year.
Politics was another topic that appeared in a significant percentage of the publications, from the formation of President Gabriel Boric’s government to their first months in office. Special attention has also been given to the constitutional process, which has generated 3,900 publications so far this year.
Third and fourth place on the list are taken by issues of innovation and sustainability. This can largely be explained by factors such as the development of renewable energies – green hydrogen and solar power – and the installation of satellite internet by the Starlink company, as well as the international expansion of three Chilean start-ups that have achieved “unicorn” status.
“Although the political and economic context helps us explain the positioning of these issues in the media, we are very positive about the relevance that topics such as innovation and sustainability have acquired,” states Constanza Cea, CEO of Imagen de Chile. “These areas have grown in recent years, with increased renewable energy investment and international milestones such as the ‘turquoise’ conservation policy. There has also been the international expansion of companies like NotCo and Betterfly, who have taken their high social impact projects out into the world. And this is exactly what we want; we want the world to get to know and value Chilean talent, and to know that we are creating future from Chile.”
Like last year, the four countries that have published the most articles about Chile are the United States, Mexico, Argentina and China.
