Tensions in the representations on democracy in the acts against and proimpeachment of the Dilma Rousseff administration in the coverage of the newspaper Folha de São Paulo in 2015

Abstract

This article analyzes the tensions about democracy in the coverage of the main articles of the newspaper Folha de São Paulo (online version) during the acts against and proimpeachment of the Dilma Rousseff (PT) administration in
March, August and December 2015. It analyses how the newspaper refers and circulates representations about democracy based on the present tensions in demonstrations against and pro-impeachment. Therefore, we rely on the Theory
of Social Representations (TSR) and present elements about the context of the military dictatorship in Brazil and the characteristics of representative democracy. It is a qualitative research based on Content Analysis and on the study of ambiences. It is concluded that the representations and tensions surrounding the democratic values seen in the coverage of the articles denounced the attempted coup against democracy and drew attention to the problems that a conservative/authoritarian regime imposes on society. However, it was highlighted the statements that contributed to the spread of the
hatred of democracy, to the maintenance of social inequalities circumstances, to the denial of social problems and processes of struggle for equal rights and citizenship. The speeches, events and actions that preceded the coup demarcate the dissolution of the delicate maintenance of the Brazilian democratic system.