Artigo Forma O De Mitos Politicos SOCIOLOGIA

O jornalismo e a formação de mitos numa democracia. Como a mídia pode ajudar a construir e destruir um “salvador da pátria” antes, durante e depois de eleições1.

Thaïs de Mendonça Jorge (Universidade de Brasília) [e-mail] ABSTRACT
The process of construction of myths in a democracy. How can the media contribute to construct and to destroy a “patriot savior” before and after elections.
This study analyses the image of the former Brazilian president Fernando Collor de Mello, as being “the patriot savior” (Girardet). To reach the status of a so strong political myth, he had the support from the media, which helped him to build up his super-hero image, modern counterpart to the ancient characters from the Greek Mythology. The myth of the lay hero - the thief Robin Hood, the skaler Lampião, the maharajah’s hunter, as Collor was known in his beginnings - takes the sacred form when it is regarded as the one who came to save the people, the Messiah, who is a especially powerful figure to that poor parcels of the society. The registers of this process in Jornal do Brasil, between January 1st, 1989, and December 31st, 1992, are profitable. At that time, Brazil experimented the first days of democracy, after decades of a dictatorial regime. Two models are proposed to guide the process of construction of a myth in the press. It is possible to observe the ascending and the later decline of this political myth. The daily paper, and the media as well, has been identified with the social-liberal doctrine of the candidate of the Nacional Reconstruction Party (PRN), and invested on Collor’s new appeal. The speed of his ascending, the victory impulse, the willing power - all that constructed the great myth - also contributed to destroy it. What was love became hate and the energy encouragement feeling came to generate guilt.
Key words: media and democracy, journalism, newspaper, elections, political myth.

O ex-presidente Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello, hoje