Newspaper coverage and the 2006 presidential elections in Brazil

Abstract

This paper analyzes the way the press – in particular, the newsweekly Veja and the daily paper Folha de São Paulo- covered the final period of President Lula’s first mandate and the 2006 presidential elections. After analyzing reporting, which is carried out through a loose appropriation of the concept of “framing”, our text presents some reflections geared toward a greater understanding of why this form of news coverage was unable to obstruct the Worker’s Party’s candidate’s re-election. Rather than adhering to the moralizing and hostile position constructed by the media and the middle classes, voters formed their own opinions, based on their interests and their evaluation of government policies. Keywords: journalism; presidential elections; media effects.