Citizen participation through the media as legitimate participatory democracy in ColombiaColombia, como Estado Social de Derecho que es, se rige por una filosofía y unos principios propios de la democracia participativa con fundamento en la Constitución d

Abstract

Colombia, as a Social State of Law that is governed by a philosophy and a proper principles of participatory democracy on the basis of the 1991 Constitution; this resulted in a series of roles and tools to ensure the participation of citizens in governance. With citizen participation government seeks citizens to exercise surveillance, monitoring and control the various activities of public officials and institutions where governmental authority intervenes. That is why every day is more about public dialogue, leading it in legal and policy initiatives and strategies to ensure citizen participation. This idea to involve the public administration to citizens is a fundamental support in the media. The role of the media is fundamental as a tool to promote citizen participation, that’s why isn’t an outburst to say that if the information of public decisions would not come properly to the public, due to weaknesses or deficiencies in how public administration uses the media and communication channels, could be questioned to what extent one can speak of a truly participatory democracy. For all this, it is vital in a democratic society enjoy a plural media scene, where there are all the voices and possible sources for the truth and power do not involve a merger.