The Trash Crisis in Bogotá (2018). Analysis of informative frames in five Colombian radio stations

Abstract

In 2018, Bogotá experienced a crisis in the garbage collection service that affected citizens and institutions in multiple areas and generated environmental, social, political, economic and legal problems, among others. Taking this fact as a case study, this work presents the results of a content analysis applied to 274 news items broadcasted by the five main Colombian radio media whose editorial lines and the positions of their most recognized journalists were openly and explicitly in opposition to the then mayor Gustavo Petro. The objective was to establish the emphasis, the interpretation frames, the informative balance, the attribution of responsibility and the attributions used by these media opposed to the local government in charge to deal with the crisis. Among the main findings, it stands out that the most recurrent frame was the political one, which led to conceive the problem from a political/legal perspective and not from its environmental impact. The impact of the media on the trajectory of the crisis for public opinion is evident by giving greater weight to the political dimension to the detriment of the issues that most directly affected citizens.