Análise de equilíbrio das fontes de informação na cobertura do conflito armado em Babo Delgado, caso: STV e TVM de 01 de junho a 31 de dezembro de 2021

Abstract

Journalistic coverage in conflict zones always demands a profound sense of responsibility from professionals in the field of Social Communication. After all, these are two belligerent forces almost immune to cries and the innocence of those present there, each giving their utmost with their respective weapons, each with their own truth and reasons. This underscores the necessity for journalists to keep society accurately and promptly informed. This endeavor requires the correct application of information gathering and consultation techniques, necessitating an unrelenting pursuit of information sources. The outcome leads professionals to conduct a correct and fair "analysis of the balance of information sources in conflict coverage." In this research, the author utilizes the journalistic efforts of the television channels "STV," a private channel, and "TVM," a public channel, during the period spanning from June to December 2021. For this purpose, the author opts for the Mixed Research method, a technical-scientific approach widely employed by press professionals, as it guarantees a proper factual examination. In her approach, the author gathers news pieces from both entities under study, as well as conducting interviews with certain journalists from both channels who were directly involved with the topic. According to the sources of both channels, the greatest challenge throughout their journalistic coverage of the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado was the dissemination of reliable information. This demands a correct, punctual, and balanced extraction from their sources, while acknowledging and respecting the conflicting interests of the belligerent parties. Even though, in the context of this conflict, access to sources is numerically possible only from one side, the responsibility fell upon the journalists to provide information that is as transparent and accurate as possible.