Ciclos de crise de imagem política: conceito, mensuração e análise.

This paper presents an empirical, methodologically oriented proposal for the identification and measurement of cycles of political image crisis (CCI-pols, in portuguese). These events describe the overexposure of the image of an authority associated with reprehensible facts, which threaten its individual reputation and, indirectly, that of its hierarchical superior. The unit of analysis used in this research was news published in the newspapers Folha de S. Paulo, O Estado de S. Paulo and O Globo on the ministers who formed government in the first term of Dilma Rousseff (2011-2014). Using the proposed methodology, 40 cycles of political image crisis of State ministers in the period were detected. These cycles recorded more news and lasted more days when (i) the minister in crisis belonged to a left-wing allied party, (ii) the accusation was a conflict of interest, and (iii) the event unfolded at the beginning of the mandate. In addition, (iv) political ministers faced more-publicized crises when compared to non-political ministers; and (v) ministers faced for the first time in a crisis were exposed to cycles that lasted more days compared to recurrent crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]