“La percepción de la violencia de género en el Ecuador a través de las coberturas mediáticas: estudio de caso María Belén Bernal.”

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze how the case of María Belén Bernal's femicide has shaped the perception of gender-based violence in Ecuador through the theory of Agenda Setting (which explains that the content the media chooses to show is what the public considers important) by monitoring its coverage in digital media. The study of the Bernal case is justified by its particularly extensive coverage and duration across a wide variety of media outlets and formats, making it an extremely deep and dense case. Therefore, it tried to reveal what factors led to such coverage of the case, and what narratives and elements the media presented that made this case so emblematic and generate so many changes in the country. Finally, it pretended to determine whether the case of María Belén Bernal has represented a significant and lasting turning point in the perception of gender-based violence in the country. The case had unprecedented depth, and beyond the opinions it generated in each person, it helped demonstrate concrete and verifiable facts, such as the lack (at least at that moment) of public policies or response protocols for cases of this type, and the fact that many more cases of gender-based violence occur every day in the country. The result was a tragic and regrettable event, but also a case that helped highlight the Ecuadorian reality regarding gender issues