Place and time: Bento Rodrigues at Lampião

Abstract

We sought to investigate the presence of Bento Rodrigues, a sub-district of Mariana (MG), in local marianense journalism prior to the collapse of the Fundão Dam on November 5th, 2015, which devastated it, and if – and how – that presence changed after the catastrophe. Our research object is the newspaper Lampião, which carries the double characteristic of local and experimental journalism. The researched corpus is composed of the 21 editions prior to the tragedy – from 0 to 20 – and the 21st edition, dedicated to the event. Using content analysis, we work with the inference variables of space and time to demarcate presences and absences of “Bento” as a place; articulate the temporalities engendered by the vehicle’s coverage; and reflect on the newsworthinesses triggered by the newspaper to bring the sub-district to the surface or to interdict its media existence, in this double local-experimental registry. From the analysis, we conclude that Bento’s past in the newspaper is determined by mining activity, which also consolidates a present that marks presence of absence, tying midiatic times of this place/non place.