Brazilian foreign policy in the press: an exploratory study on the framing of the main Brazilian newspapers

Abstract

Introduction: We propose a new methodology to analyze how the Brazilian press has framed Brazilian foreign policy (BFP) based on Robert Entman’s approach. The objective is to specify the media’s role in the conceptual evaluation of Brazilian foreign policy, considering whether it approves or rejects the government’s actions as a whole. Materials and methods: We analyzed editorials and opinion articles from four Brazilian daily newspapers between 2014 and 2016: Folha de S. Paulo, O Estado de S. Paulo, O Globo, and Valor Econômico. The unit of analysis is the arguments employed to shape the readers’ perception of Brazilian foreign policy. For a description and analysis of the various framings on Brazil’s foreign policy, we sorted the arguments into three categories: i) the identified problems, ii) the assigned moral judgement and iii) the established relationships between cause and effect. Results: We found a higher occurrence of critical assessments compared to favorable ones. These findings challenge the commonly held view in the literature that the media has a favorable attitude towards the president in office when it comes to foreign policy. Brazilian media typically frames the substantive, non-procedural dimensions of foreign policy, which suggests a more autonomous press when compared to the United States in the coverage of this topic. Discussion: The Brazilian press’ critical stance towards the presidential administration likely owes to low significance of foreign policy topics, insofar as they do not address national security, which usually elicits more vehement reactions from citizens in central countries. Two key inferences can be drawn. Despite the broad scope of the media’s discussion on foreign policy, its moral assessment has been largely negative. In addition, the Brazilian press is unwilling to take on the government framing, as per its coverage of Brazilian foreign policy towards Venezuela. Brazil is a case where political leaders often cannot count on immediate support from the press on the issue of foreign policy.