Between sources and journalists: interests and disputes in the coverage of the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff in the radiojournalism

Abstract

The article analyzes the radiojournalism’s coverage on the impeachment process of President Dilma Rousseff. Based on an exploratory study of CBN Rio radiojournal in the week before the Senate vote, along with semi-structured interviews with journalists from different stations covering the event, the objective was to analyze the news production in the socio-historical context of the processes of Impediment of presidents in Latin America. In this way, we investigate the selection of sources and arguments based on the four issues that made possible impediments in Latin America during the last decades, according to Perez-Liñan (2007): economic crisis, popular mobilizations, media scandals, and lack of parliamentary support. The study reveals that broadly heard voices on the subject have highlighted the four aspects beyond the object of investigation; And also a paradox in journalism studies: even on the stage of events (the National Congress), the relationship with the sources via advisory was one of the pillars in the selection of agents.