The shield of objectivity: declaratory journalism and disinformation in the electoral coverage of Radio Itatiaia

This article analyzes how practices associated with journalistic objectivity operate in the pre-election coverage of Jornal da Itatiaia – 1st Edition and to what extent they contribute to facing or covering up risks of informational disorder. The methodology systematizes quantitative data and performs qualitative analysis of ten editions with adaptation of the Journalistic Coverage Analysis protocol. The results show that the station preserves conventions of attribution of speeches, separation between news and commentary, and presentation of different positions. These practices coexist with limitations in the contradictory, verification and contextualization. Declaratory journalism was identified in seven editions and ambiguity calculated, in nine. It is concluded that objectivity acts in an ambivalent way: it organizes coverage and sustains its credibility, but it can function as an editorial shield in the face of the circulation of statements, speculations and behind-the-scenes information.