Politics, power and democracy in the discourse production process of live television political interviews: the Todo se Sabe case

Abstract

How do we discuss politics in Peru? This concern inspired a thesis whose study focused on a very specific instance of political dialogue: the live political television interview (EPTV), a product of the "practices" of Peruvian television journalism. The Todo se sabe case, considered especially representative of this phenomenon, was analyzed during its broadcasts from December 4 to 8, 2017. Based on this case, the discourse production process was unraveled, with special focus on the interviewer's (Milagros Leiva) performance, and how she embodied the concepts of politics, power, and democracy. To this end, a method was constructed with four analytical factors: temporal-quantitative, logical-argumentative, informational relevance, and interaction and communication. Among the findings, we find an EPTV that differs substantially from the nature of social practice conceptualized from various fields of knowledge, reconfiguring it while distancing itself from the skills that experts consider required for the development of effective interviews that fulfill their social function.