Análise da cobertura jornalística sobre o trabalho infantil em Moçambique: um estudo aos Jornais Notícias e o País

Abstract

The media play a key role, as they are the main sources of information for the population. Schudson (2003) points out that “the role of the media in constructing public perception of social problems is fundamental in shaping the political agenda and social”. Driven by this thought, this research aims to analyze the news coverage of child labour in Mozambique in the newspapers Notícias and O País in the second half of 2023This research was driven by the following question: In what way do the reports on child labor in Mozambique, published by the newspapers O País and Notícias, contribute to raising awareness in Mozambican society of the need to combat this phenomenon? In order to answer this question, editions of the newspapers were analyzed using the qualitative and quantitative method and a cumulative of 18 articles were detected in Notícias newspaper that addressed the issue of child labor in Mozambique in the 2nd half of 2023, of which 12 were news items, 3 were reports and 3 were opinion articles. The newspaper “O País” followed with a cumulative of 1 story related to child labor in Mozambique in the 2nd half of 2023 of news nature. It was found that the newspaper Notícias paid more attention to the issue, albeit in a way that was conditioned by institutional events and with recurrent use of government sources. Although Notícias has concentrated coverage in certain months, the lack of regularity on the topic On the other hand, the newspaper O País demonstrated an almost complete lack of coverage, revealing an invisible coverage of the phenomenon. O País practically ignores the issue, which highlights a critical gap in its informative function. The newspaper's stance represents a departure from its social role of reporting on children's rights violations, which could limit the social and political mobilization needed to combat the problem. The Mozambican press still does not fully fulfill its social role in denouncing children's rights violations