Political coup or impeachment? The political polarization from Veja and Carta Capital magazine’s covers

Abstract

The dismissal of Dilma Rousseff from the Presidency of the Republic in August 2016 inaugurated one of the most controversial historical periods in recent Brazilian history. In a fragmented scenario in the discussion of whether it was impeachment or a political coup, we observed numerous partisan and ideological questions. This paper proposes to analyze four covers of weekly magazines (Veja and Carta Capital) to understand the positioning of each one in relation to the political event. The theoretical basis that supports the analysis is the discursive semiotics, focusing on the generative path of meaning, exploring above all the polemic dimension established between the two journals. Thus, it is hoped to discuss the values that guide each journal and the way in which the journals elaborate argumentative strategies for or against the political process brought against Dilma Rousseff in a historical-social context characterized by political polarization.