Abstract

The mediatization of political scandals has become a common phenomenon in the most diverse political systems. However, we know little about how the media frame this information. To answer this question, we have developed a descriptive study on a series of recent political scandals denounced in the Chilean press. Taking as a temporary framework the news published between 2014 and 2016, we analyzed the total information (n=10011) published by a sample of eleven national media, on seven political scandals that occurred during the period. We have used the QDAMiner-Wordstat program to detect frame terms, from which we have been able to identify two large frames: one referring to the “Judicialization of cases” and the other referred to the “Attribution of responsibilities”. The results are presented and discussed, examining some implications of the exercise for the understanding of the political scandals themselves and the way in which the Chilean periodic press presents and disseminates them.

Abstract

This paper analyses the context of disinformation in Spain from the perspective of the pseudo-media (i.e., websites that mimic conventional media to offer partisan content based on alternative facts). Using a quantitative (N = 1,143) and qualitative (n = 396) methodology, this research analyses publications from eight Spanish pseudo-media that reach more than 4 million unique users. Results reveal an interest in three topics: vaccination, restrictions and speculation about Covid-19, national politics –focused on criticism against government– and topics related to human rights –mainly LGBTI, gender, immigration– with a total of 58.1% of the content published in four sections (International, Spain, Society, and Economy). The study reveals a growing trend towards polarisation and the use of clickbait techniques in four out of ten headlines. The Internet and social media are the most common sources quoted, while a third of the items lack sources or correspond to opinion pieces. Minorities and vulnerable groups are framed as a social threat, and the presentation of the coalition government as a danger to Spain that must be put to an end, which makes the discourse of these websites in tune with the ideology of the far right wing.