The Globo television network conducted extensive coverage of the 2002 election process in Brazil. During the 17 weeks between the end of the Football World Cup and the second round of the Brazilian elections, the Presidential race occupied approximately one third of air time on the network's main nationwide news program, Jornal Nacional. This was a marked difference in comparison to coverage of the 1998 elections, which were virtually absent from the Globo news broadcasts. The network also pursued a policy of clear impartiality towards the four main Presidential candidates, in stark contrast to its almost militant involvement in previous races. This article seeks to demonstrate that the influence of the Globo network on the election process in 2002 occurred primarily through its collaboration in closing off the discursive field, demanding that candidates assume an increasingly deep commitment to the continuation of prevailing macroeconomic policies.
communications media; elections; Brazilian politics
