Press, public opinion and terrorism in Peru (1980-1994)

This work examines how the Peruvian press informed citizens about the bloody actions and crimes of Sendero Luminoso in Peru, arguing that a point was reached where the phenomenon of news "spectacularization" took hold. Sendero thus became a media phenomenon, a subject of daily attraction and interest for readers. But in that pursuit of more credible information, the approaches and discourses used led to the construction of apocalyptic realities and scenarios. "Spectacularization" began to edge toward the borders of sensationalism. Why did this phenomenon occur? This research sought to clarify it by conducting a content analysis of the news coverage that the prestige press gave to Sendero Luminoso's political violence between 1980 and 1994.
This is an essential book for those who wish to compare the coverage published in El Comercio of Lima, El País of Spain, and The New York Times, and to understand their different opinions and silences.