Pluralismo ou Paralelismo? O comentário político nos noticiários do prime-time na televisão portuguesa

Abstract

This study about political commentary in the newscasts looks at commentary as an indicator of the relationship between the media and politics in Portugal. In order to do that, the profile of commentators is analyzed in both free-to-air and cable network chan- nels, from 2000 to 2015. The quantitative and longitudinal analysis showed that television commentary slots are occupied mainly both by journalists and politicians, and that the increasing presence of  one profile did not imply the declining presence of the other throughout time. The study also showed a division of the commentary slots between the power parties and a stronger presence of commentatos coming from the right-wing parties. Results indicate that the interactional models between the media and politics theorized by the concepts of political paral- lelism and journalistic interventionism help us to argue that the media coalition around the power parties and also the autonomy of the media are both explanatory factors of how prime-time commentary has evolved throughout time. This study suggests that primetime punditry reflects and it is also a consequence of the complex relationship between media and politics in Portugal.