The social perception of violence and the elaboration of the red note in the Salvadoran written press

Abstract

The violence is one of the problems most worrying for the Salvadorians. Daily, the media, in special the newspapers, relates this problem, weaves a relation of sense whit the social perception of violence. In two years, this investigator studied the phenomenon through a social historical analysis about the circumstances that permit this problem get a whirlpool, an analysis of discourse of ten important news between 2003 and 2007. The investigation concludes with an analysis of reception of three focus groups. The members of these focus groups are more critical than we supposed. Their "political capital" gives more criteria for make their public opinion about the problems of the reality. I want to emphasize that the communities of interpretation are more important in the construction of public opinion than the newspapers, in special, family, friends and coworkers.

Realidad: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades No. 120, 2009: 419-429