Da idealização à concretização:

Abstract

This research aims to understand the narrative construction of the socio-environmental impacts and repercussions of the Estreito Hydroelectric Power Plant (UHE Estreito) by Jornal do Tocantins (JTO) from 2002 to 2012. Located on the border between the states of Tocantins and Maranhão, the UHE Estreito was built over a decade marked by conflicts between the responsible company, affected communities, and the judiciary. The analysis was conducted based on a corpus of 62 reports published in the newspaper, using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, supported by Content Analysis and Framing Theory. Content Analysis allowed for the categorization and systematization of the articles, while Framing Theory contributed to understanding how the facts were narrated and which perspectives were privileged. The results indicate that JTO predominantly approached UHE Estreito from an economic perspective, highlighting it as a symbol of regional development and progress. The journalistic coverage was marked by a less plural narrative, emphasizing factual information and official sources, such as government representatives and the company responsible for the project. The voices of affected communities, such as residents of flooded cities and social movements, had limited space, usually restricted to protests and blockades. Furthermore, the journalistic approach did not prioritize the contextualization of facts, as advocated by Environmental Journalism, which requires an inter and multidisciplinary view of socio-environmental impacts. The research suggests that corporate communication, disguised by greenwashing and green marketing, influenced JTO's coverage, limiting the plurality of voices and the contextualization of socio-environmental impacts. The lack of a more critical and in-depth approach to the conflicts and risks associated with the construction of the plant reflects a trend observed in other journalistic coverages of large hydroelectric projects in Brazil. The analysis also revealed that, although JTO addressed the environmental and social impacts of UHE Estreito, the predominant narrative was that the economic benefits would outweigh the socio-environmental costs.