In this article I examine the role of political advertisements in
electoral campaigns and show aspects of the political dialogue in Venezuela
since 1958, with special reference to the actors involved in the deterioration of
the democratic system. The political turn-taking of the traditional parties is
described briefly and then three electoral campaigns for electing a President are
examined through a sample of 1496 advertisements published in El Nacional.
Economic and political changes are discussed in the light of the number and
class of texts published in each campaign. The turn-taking for discrediting the
opponent is examined in more detail and attention is given to the multidirectional
interaction through advertisements. It is claimed that these
advertisements form a class of their own and, although they are indicators of
the economic power of political groups, more attention must be given to the
discourse of the newspaper that houses them. |