The article analyses the role of the political news coverage in the Brazilian presidential election of 2006. Its main argument is that the electoral realignment of Lula’s voting base, observed between 2002 and 2006, was influenced by the nation’s main media vehicles. A significant portion of Brazilian voters opted for the continuity of the government of the then president. Another portion, though less numerous, turned to opposition candidates. The political press coverage was one of the causes of such movement. This would be an evidence of a media effect that, until now, no analysis of the 2006 election sought to investigate. Such effects were not even greater because a significant number of Brazilian voters, based on their values and interests, chose to reject the content of the information provided by the press.
Press coverage; Electoral realignment; Media effects
