Análisis de discurso sobre el conflicto armado interno en Ecuador

Abstract

This research analyzes how the speeches issued by the Ecuadorian government and the community media Wambra shape the narrative of the "internal armed conflict" and its relationship with social violence and drug trafficking in the country. Based on a qualitative approach and the critical paradigm, the research used critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine press releases from the Ministry of the Interior and newspaper articles by Wambra in the conflict’s context. The data were coded in three stages according to grounded theory: open, axial and selective coding, structured in the categories: text, context, action and ideology. The findings show a significant contrast between official and counter-hegemonic narratives. The Interior Ministry articulates a discourse that legitimizes militarization and repressive policies using war terminology. In contrast, Wambra problematizes these strategies, highlighting how neoliberal policies deliberately allow violence and criticizes official discourse for its lack of depth in addressing the structural causes of the current crisis. The study shows that official discourse not only reflects power relations, but perpetuates them, while alternative speeches seek to dismantle these hegemonic structures. One of the contributions to the field of communication research is how public opinion is shaped through official and media narratives and how a political and economic model is configured in response to the security crisis in Ecuador.