Media and interpretation: the interests of capital in the discourse on “economic crisis”

Abstract

From the perspective of the Materialist Theory of Discourse, we analyze the meanings of “economic crisis” conveyed in the media. The discursive clippings were taken from the websites of Exame and Carta Capital magazines. Our hypothesis was that the two magazines have different positions and, supposedly, mean the “economic crisis” differently. To carry out the study, we traced clues in the linguistic-historical materiality that illuminated the understanding of the material character of meaning. We conclude that the two magazines subscribe to different ideological positions. Exame magazine talks about the economic crisis, launching meanings that guide the State and businessmen towards the reproduction of capital. The magazine Carta Capital, however, takes a critical position, however, it does not place itself as revolutionary.