Práticas comunicacionais na MEDIA LIFE: como se dá o relacionamento entre assessores de comunicação e jornalistas da cidade de Curitiba no contexto da midiatização

Abstract

When dealing with mediation between organizations and society, communication consultancy is one of the most employed activities. In this mediation, the advisory activity involves managing the relationship and information flows between companies, the press and society (DUARTE, 2011). With mediatization – a process in which the use of media configures human behavior and causes sociocultural changes (HEPP, 2013) – it is possible to see changes in the scope of the work of advisors and in the relationships that they establish with journalists of communication vehicles and with the society. Considering this scenario, the following research problem arose: in which extent mediatization and, specifically, media life (a term coined by Mark Deuze in 2012) have influenced communication practices established between communication advisers and journalists working in communication vehicles? The present work aimed to analyze communication practices established between communication advisers and media journalists in the context of mediatization and media life. The specific objectives were: to discuss journalistic and communication advisory practices established in the context of mediatization and media life; understand the role of media relations and journalism in the context in question; to analyze the oral verbal discourse of communication advisors and media journalists regarding the communication practices established in the context of mediatization and media life. For this, in-depth interviews were carried out with eight communication advisers and eight journalists who work in the city of Curitiba (PR), and the collected data received qualitative treatment. The results showed five categories of analysis: 1) Changes in the scope of work of the communication advisor; 2) Professional interdependence; 3) Proximity to the professional relationship; 4) Lack of newsworthiness and objectivity in the releases; 5) Unknowledge of the editorial line and the productive routines of the communication vehicles. It was concluded that mediatization and, specifically, media life have contributed to a change in terms of spatiality, temporality and sociability in the communication practices established between advisors and journalists in Curitiba. The present work was based on the assumptions of authors such as Mark Deuze (2012; 2013; 2016), Andreas Hepp (2013; 2016), Nick Couldry (2016) and Henry Jenkins (2008).