Media and Public Opinion: Case Study Comparison of the Mensalão and Petrolão Corruption Scandals in Brazil

95 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of International Studies and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2017This thesis explores the conditions under which corruption scandals generate large-scale public backlash using a comparative case study of the Mensalão and Petrolão corruption scandals in Brazil. Drawing on public opinion data and content analysis of newspaper coverage of scandals, it explores the effects of a number of factors in shaping public reaction to corruption scandals, including economic climate, type of corruption, and media framing. The findings indicate that while media engages in first order agenda setting – establishing corruption scandals as important events – it only sometimes engages in second order agenda setting by framing corruption scandals and politicians in a positive or negative light. In addition, the data reveals that in Brazil, the state of the economy is a strong determining factor that shapes public perceptions concerning the importance of corruption as a major issue. Lastly, the results indicate that the Brazilian public did not distinguish between the different types of corruption, and instead protested and demanded the end of corruption generally