AIDS IN THE ALTERNATIVE PRESS: THE IMAGETIC SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOMOSEXUAL AFTER THE DISCOVERY OF THE DISEASE

• Grant number: 24/06070-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Communications - Journalism and Publishing
• Principal Investigator: Maria Cristina Gobbi
• Grantee: Daniel dos Santos Souza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes, Comunicação e Design (FAAC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The study seeks to understand the contribution of the newspaper "O Pasquim" in the formation of public opinion about the figure of homosexuals after the beginning of coverage of HIV/AIDS cases in Brazil. The period of analysis will be the year 1983, in which the press began to give greater visibility to the disease. Recognized by the general public in a pejorative way as "Gay Cancer", AIDS, a disease caused by contact with the HIV virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), had its journalistic coverage started by the mainstream media in the 1980s, with the first case reported in 1981. The first major report released in Brazil was shown by Fantástico in 1983. The subject was treated based on the information available until then, with data indicating the predominance of the disease in gay men. In the alternative media, focusing on the newspaper O Pasquim, characterized by its irreverence and humor in its posts, the discussion initially had a humorous and unpretentious tone, which as time passed and the number of cases increased, it gained greater seriousness. However, its coverage did not deviate from the terms associated with homosexuals at the time, with the use of "gay cancer" being common to treat the disease. Through content analysis, combined with critical analysis of the material published by Pasquim, considering the historical context, the language used and the audience reach, this research seeks to provide an understanding of how coverage of a disease can influence the construction of image of a social group.