Ameaça e controle da gripe a(H1N1): Uma análise discursiva de veja, istoé e época

Abstract

In 2009, the emergence of cases of influenza A(H1N1) - the popular flu - in 207 countries indicated the registration of the first pandemic of the XXI century, as predicted in reports from health authorities some years ago. In Brazil, 27,850 cases of swine were confirmed, of which 1,632 died, representing 18,6% of deaths worldwide and 27,7% in the Americas, according to the Health Ministry of Brazil (2009). The media have linked the emergence of flu as a differentiated 'new edition' of flu, due to the identification of a new subtype of influenza virus that could be as lethal as the old one. A similar fear to what had been experienced also with avian influenza in 1997, prompting officials to remain on alert. This article aims to evaluate the production of news on influenza A(H1N1) in the three main national magazines in Brazil. We chose to analyze the eigth covers of magazines Veja, IstoÉ and Época published during the first months of the pandemic, in the beginning of 2009. Based on concepts of Discourse Analysis and Journalism Theory, the analysis indicates that the news can be divided into two phases, focusing initially on the alarm over the fear of new virus and deaths recorded and afterwards on the control due to the finding that the disease presented less risk than previously thought and to the actions taken to fight it.