Pintando o Brasil: análise do enquadramento do Brasil sob o governo Jair Bolsonaro pelo jornal The New York Times

Abstract

The research aims to identify the image constructed by the international media, represented by The New York Times, of Brazil and Brazilians between 2019 and 2022, during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency. Additionally, it seeks to investigate whether correlations exist between this image and the image of the then President of the Republic, as well as to examine whether parallels are drawn between Brazil and its president and the United States and Donald Trump. To achieve this, a content analysis will be conducted based on Bardin's methodology (2011), incorporating both quantitative and qualitative aspects, of factual texts published by The New York Times that include the terms “Brazil/Brazilian” and “Bolsonaro” between January 2019 and December 2022. A total of 808 articles underwent quantitative analysis, categorized into six areas: 1) addressed themes; 2) news value applied; 3) Brazil's prominence; 4) Bolsonaro's prominence; 5) use of news agencies; 6) publication in the newspaper's print version. Due to the volume of texts published during the period addressing these terms, a criterion for qualitative analysis was established, focusing only on the most relevant texts each month as identified by The New York Times search engine, as well as the article “Brazil Ejects Bolsonaro and Brings Back Leftist Former Leader Lula,” which presents the results of the 2022 elections. These 49 texts were analyzed based on the following categories: 1) sentiment regarding Brazil's image; 2) sentiment regarding Bolsonaro; 3) parallels or associations with the United States or Trump; 4) news framing; 5) stereotypes of Brazil; and 6) sources cited. Finally, it was concluded that a president, through the coverage of their actions and positions, can influence the image of the country they govern. Throughout the analyzed period, Bolsonaro contributed to the construction of a negative image of Brazil, often associated with inferiority to the United States, with Bolsonaro being portrayed as the “Trump of the Tropics,” and reinforcing stereotypes such as institutional fragility.