The publication of pre-election opinion polls in the argentine print media

The presidential campaign 2023 in Clarín and La Nación

Abstract

This article analyzes the news coverage of two Argentine print media in relation to the role of pollsters and the representation of public opinion in the framework of the 2023 presidential campaign in Argentina. It seeks to identify the distinctive features of the publication of pre-election polls in Clarín and La Nación in the period between June 26 and November 20, 2023. In these elections, the results of which required a runoff election, the candidates Sergio Massa of Unión por la Patria and Javier Milei of La Libertad Avanza faced each other. The latter won with 56% of the votes. The general objective is to establish the distinctive characteristics adopted by the informative pieces of these media in relation to the role of consulting firms and the representation of public opinion. As specific objectives, and using quantitative methodology of content analysis, the format of the publications will be analyzed in relation to the guidelines established by the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR) and the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) in 2006 in order to avoid interpretative confusion among non-expert readers. In addition, the frequency of reporting, the informative relevance in terms of hierarchy and the way in which the polling data were incorporated into the information units will be observed.