Abstract

The main theoretical approaches related to the study of political communication, defined as the interaction between political parties, the media, and citizens, are analyzed. The theories are summarized into two main currents: first, those theories and approaches that emphasize political mediatization, which is the adaptation of political messages to the discourse, strategies, interests, and logic of mass media; second, the theoretical approaches that warn about the dependence of the media on external actors, as well as the loss of influence and relative importance of the media in the last years.