How Prosecutors Get Media Attention: A Study on Press Coverage of Corruption Investigations in Brazil

• In Event: Prosecution in the Making I: Context and Operation of Prosecutorial Offices in the Americas

Abstract

How do prosecutors manage to get press coverage? Although studies show that the publicity of investigations affects trial outcomes, it is not clear why some prosecution offices secure higher levels of press coverage than others. This paper examines this question through a comparative analysis of task forces of prosecutors investigating corruption in Brazil in a case known as "Operation Car Wash" (Operação Lava Jato). Drawing on over 130 in-depth interviews with prosecutors and journalists, this paper shows that the variation in media attention between task forces is, in part, explained by the different social communication strategies of prosecutors: while some task forces sought to publicize cases proactively, others preferred to be less open to the media. Interviews revealed that task forces that successfully captured media attention relied on three strategies: 1) dividing the investigation into multiple phases, from a search warrant to pre-trial detentions and sentencing; 2) cultivating personal relationships with journalists, sometimes leaking information at strategic moments; and 3) overloading journalists with information to ensure that the press depended on prosecutors to explain which parts of the investigation they should highlight.

Author

• Luiz Henrique Vilaça, Tulane University