Resumen

MARTINEZ VIZCARRONDO, Doris E. Semantic Macro-Structural Analysis of the Latin American Digital Press Discourse on the Attacks of September 11^th. Opcion [online]. 2006, vol.22, n.50, pp.55-77. ISSN 1012-1587.

Abstract This article analyzes the exclusion and inclusion of actions and social actors in the representation of the events of the 11th of September in New York in the Latin American digital press. Critical discourse analysis is used following the principles established by Van Dijk (1990, 1997, 1998). The sample is made up of 509 selected articles that appeared on the cover pages of seventeen Latin American digital newspapers, from the 12th to the 16th of September. Among the results we emphasize: a) the contents of the newspapers that were examined reproduced the discourses of American news agencies; b) the topics reflected a discourse without reference to the past, without reflection on the causes of the events and the people responsible, a tactic used to minimize the contradictions and the protagonists of the events; c) the topics selected are products of opinions, ideologies and values that come from the ideologies of the American military, political activists and journalistic elites; d) the construction of identities is established by a dichotomy: “I-Us”, United States- Latin America, a society with positive values (legality, moderation) and “He/She-They-Other”, the Arabs, the Afghans, representatives of the values rejected by society (extremist, illegal).

Palabras clave : Latin American digital press; semantic macrostructure; critical discourse analysis..