Referenciation and patemization in television news: the case of inmate Susy Oliveira or the demoniac tranny

Abstract

The goal of this research is to compare, in television reportages, the reference forms used in the construction of the image of transsexual convicts and, in particular, inmate Suzy Oliveira, and their possible patemic effects. Under the theoretical-methodological principles of Text Linguistics, adding the semiolinguistic systematization of patemic topics, it is investigated how referential expressions, which can highlight the representation the enunciator intends to assign to the objects of speech and, in parallel, the emotions probably aroused in the enunciatee. To this purpose, we are analyzing the story displayed in the Fantástico about the challenges of this prison population and another one in the Alerta Nacional about the crimes committed by Susy Oliveira. The qualitative analysis of these journalistic pieces reveals a construction of discursive effects that point to different argumentative orientations for each television channel.