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The Media Coverage of 2015 Legislative Elections in Portugal

Filipe Resende (Universidade Católica Portuguesa)

Keywords: News, journalism and public opinion

Abstract

In modern democracies, the media can legitimize and increase the visibility of political power, through the dissemination of messages to voters with a report of political events. Apart from the reasons that lead the citizen to choice a candidate, his selection is influenced by information available in media. (Lilleker, 2006; McNair, 2009). With professionalization of journalism, the public sphere was conditioned by the logic of media. It is possible to talk in a relation that media have the ability to restrict the action of political actors. In this sense, it is feasible to observe a “media democracy” (Meyer, 2002) with two different elements. First, the politicians when accept the media rules have the biggest visibility with their voter because they know without this mediation, their campaigns have a smaller profile in public sphere (McNair, 2009). Second, the journalists need the information of political actors to diffuse the content by their voters (McQuail, 2003).

So the politics visibility is mediated by media (Blumler & Kavanagh, 1999; Norris, 2000; Louw, 2010), mainly during electoral campaign period. There is a consensus about a set of patterns which describe the current electoral journalistic coverage, like personalization, game strategy and the interpretative journalism (Salgado & Strömbäck, 2012).

However, it is also consentaneous the existence of a different media discourse between the various candidates. The mediatic coverage about electoral campaigns can mobilize or demobilize citizens or reinforce some intentions to vote, persuading some undecided voters. The visibility and tone in media can have a significant influence on the voter’s choice.

Although, this research analyses the editorial coverage during electoral campaign of 2015 legislative elections in Portugal of the large national parties, in other words, the only party forces elected to rule in democracy (Socialist Party and Social Democrat Party). The primary objective is analyzed similarities and differences in editorial coverage in media treatment between different candidatures. This working progress based on the quantitative methodology supported a content analysis of TV, broadcast, press and online media. Different variables of political communication it will be used (Aalberg; Strömbäck & De Vreese, 2012). This paper, it will be the focus on the enforcement of methodologies of the research, like analysis categories and variables.