Chavism's polarization arrived to Argentina? Media framing effects and its impacts in public opinion

• Grant number: 14/07545-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: August 04, 2014
• End date: August 16, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Janina Onuki
• Grantee: Janina Onuki
• Visiting researcher: Iñaki Sagarzazu
• Visiting researcher institution: University of Glasgow, Scotland
• Host Institution: Instituto de Relações Internacionais (IRI). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The impact of media in public opinion is probably one of the most studied topics in the field of Political Science and International Relations. However, few studies have analyzed how the media shapes opinion in relation to issues that happen abroad and for which we have no direct contact. First, this paper presents a survey applied to more than a thousand students at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, which demonstrates the existence of a high correlation between the level of support given to the Argentinean government and the degree of acceptance of Chavism. Later, using framing theory as a reference, we show that the high polarization of public opinion about this issue is due to the mass media use of chavism's image as a tool to take advantage in the domestic debate. Making use of the software Wordfish and from a quantitative text analysis of all the articles published in the last four years about Venezuela, we argue that newspapers La Nacion and Pagina 12 present two diametrically opposed images in relation to that country. Subsequently, through a sentiment analysis, we will try to observe what the emphasis is awarded by each newspaper, hoping that La Nación, clearly opposing the government, uses a negative framing while Pagina 12 a positive framework. (AU)