WHITENESS ON TV: AN ANALYSIS OF TELEJOURNALISM IN BAHIA, MATO GROSSO DO SUL AND SANTA CATARINA.
Media Studies. Production of Sense. Television journalism. Race studies. whiteness.
This thesis analyzes racial representation in telejournalism based on quantitative and qualitative research with journalists and the active observation of television news in three Brazilian states: Bahia, the largest black population in Brazil; Santa Catarina, the largest number of whites in the country; and Mato Grosso do Sul, a region that has an equivalent proportion of blacks, browns and whites. This is because Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua 2016, released by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), points out that 54.9% of the Brazilian population is composed of black people, bringing to the reflection the following question: in a constituted country, mainly by whites and blacks, is it possible to verify the predominant color or race profile among the professionals who work in front of the cameras in the studied states? To what extent does this profile reflect inequalities and/or privileges in terms of access to opportunities to enter the telejournalism market? Is it possible that these faces contribute to reproduce or perpetuate elements of racial inequality in Brazilian society? The theoretical foundations rely on authors such as Cardoso (2008, 2010, 2017, 2020), Kilomba (2019), Piza (2003, 2005, 2010) and Sodré (1999, 2014), who bring a discussion about race, in addition to Martín- Barbero (2013) and Mattos (2010), which address aspects related to television and TV news. It is hoped that the result of the research can foster the debate on racial representation in Brazilian journalism.