Between public debate and silence: analysis of online journalist coverage about the suicide of black teenagers and youth in Brazil

• Main Authors: Ana Carolina Pontalti Monari, Claudio Bertolli Filho
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde (Icict) da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) 2019-12-01
• Series: RECIIS
• Subjects: mídia; suicídio; negros; opinião pública; teoria do silêncio.
• Online Access: https://www.reciis.icict.fiocruz.br/index.php/reciis/article/view/1853

This article aims to analyze the public debate at online journalistic coverage on the issue of suicide among black teenagers and young people in Brazil. For this, three news from three media were selected: G1 – Ciência e Saúde (linked to Globo Organizations), Nexo (independent digital newspaper) and Alma Preta (journalism agency specializing in ethnic issues in Brazil). Using theories of journalistic practice, public opinion and silence, as well as the use of deep hermeneutics, this study concluded that the media does not fully promote public debate on the issue. G1 – Ciência e Saúde reproduced the hegemonic media discourse, giving no voice to blacks; Nexo was the newspaper that dealt with the theme most completely, using data and sources, one of them being black; and Alma Preta was the least open to the identification of the black public, with the absence of sources and lack of representation.