Adversarial Rhetoric or Lapdog Journalism? Political Interviews During the 2018 Brazilian Presidential Elections

Abstract

After the end of theRhetoric military dictatorship (1964–1985), electoral disputes in BrazilBrazil have been influenced by interviews with politicians. The most relevant national TV show bringing this kind of content is Roda VivaRoda Viva, aired since 1986 by the public broadcaster TV Cultura. Considering Roda Viva’sRoda Viva role, the relevance of its debates throughout the 2018 presidential election, and how adversarial and lapdog journalism unfolded during each show, we analyze the interviews carried out with nine mainstream candidates. To understand how adversarial behaviors are manifested, we observe the roles of the mediator, the professional features of interviewers, and the number of interventions of each agent, among other aspects. Even though all Roda Viva interviews follow the same script, the results indicate that the level of adversarialism varies from one program to another. The antagonistic behavior manifested by interviewers and interviewees depends on (1) the person who is being interviewed (and if he/she adopts or not a hostile or aggressive attitude), and (2) the professional affiliation of the interviewers (a panel formed entirely by journalists tend to be more adversarial, while interviewers with mixed backgrounds usually take a more sympathetic approach).