Watchdogging Populism
Entrepreneurial Journalism
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Keywords

Ideal-practice press professional roles
Far-right populism
Portuguese journalists and Visão newsmagazine
Watchdog orientation and performance
Negotiative assessment of journalistic professional roles

How to Cite

Novais, R. A. (2022). Watchdogging Populism: journalistic roles conception, performance and negotiation in reporting the far-right in Portugal. Brazilian Journalism Research, 18(2), 316–349. https://doi.org/10.25200/BJR.v18n2.2022.1425

Abstract

ABSTRACT – The article aims to unpack the press reporting of far-right populism invested in its journalistic roles, as manifested in the watchdog performance by the leading Portuguese newsmagazine Visão in a series of feature articles on the emergent Chega party. Drawing on an original combination of methodologies comprising surveys, rhetorical analysis, and qualitative interviewing, it concludes that Visão adopts an interventionist mode of the watchdog role in the reporting. It also validates the need to integrate a negotiative assessment of the role orientation and reporting practice to fill both the general ideal-practice gap of the journalistic roles and the specific ideal-performance of the watchdog role.

 

RESUMO – Este artigo visa desvendar a cobertura jornalística do populismo de extrema-direita conforme manifesto na forma como a revista portuguesa de referência Visão desempenha o papel de cão de guarda (watchdog) em uma série de reportagens sobre o emergente partido Chega. Baseado em uma combinação original de metodologias que integram inquéritos, análise retórica e entrevista qualitativa, conclui que Visão adotou preferencialmente o modo de cão de guarda intervencionista (interventionist watchdog) no tratamento noticioso. Valida igualmente a necessidade de integrar uma avaliação negociada dos papéis ideais jornalísticos com a realidade da produção informativa com vista a preencher os hiatos tanto do ideal-praxis em torno dos papéis jornalísticos em geral, como, da dicotomia ideal-desempenho em termos do papel específico de cão de guarda.

 

RESUMEN – Este artículo tiene como objetivo principal dar a conocer la cobertura periodística del populismo de extrema derecha en Portugal, en concreto, respecto al modo en que la revista portuguesa de referencia Visão desempeña el papel de perro guardián (watchdog) en una serie de publicaciones centradas en el emergente partido Chega. A partir de una combinación original de metodologías que integran encuestas, análisis retórico y entrevista cualitativa, encontramos que Visão adopta un rol de perro guardián intervencionista (interventionism wathdog) en su tratamiento informativo. Además, los resultados muestran la necesidad de integrar al estudio de la orientación del rol de los periodistas al de su práctica de reportar; haciendo posible, de este modo, visibilizar la brecha existente entre la práctica-ideal de los roles periodistas en general y del desempeño-ideal específico del rol de watchdog.

https://doi.org/10.25200/BJR.v18n2.2022.1425
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