Characterization of Urban Violence in Barranquilla as Portrayed in the Tabloid Press. Case of the Newspaper Al Día

Abstract

This article analyzes urban violence as portrayed in the tabloids and based on the theory of news construction to understand how urban violence is construed in the press. The newspaper Al Dia, published in Barranquilla, was selected for this study, specifically the editions published between May 2007 and April 2008.This was a descriptive study with a qualitative-quantitative methodology and content analysis. The design was transactional and non-experimental, and non-probability sampling was used.The specific objectives were: to identify the main features that characterize the agenda, how urban violence is construed, where is occurs, and the characteristics of the contents of the photographic messages in the tabloid press.The study concludes with a description of urban violence based on portraits of conflict and human interest, with physical or corporal violence, involving males of unknown or unlisted occupation and in violent areas located in the southwest and southeast sectors of the city. The news (text and photographs) is of little informative value and uses violence to attract the reader with no regard for the human drama involved.