Introduction: The Legacy of Peronismo and Argentina’s Political Landscape
Argentina’s political history has long been dominated by Peronismo, the populist movement founded by Juan Perón. This political ideology has shaped Argentina’s governance, economic policies, and social dynamics for decades. The election cycle 2023, however, marked a turning point as a new force emerged to challenge the status quo. Javier Milei, an outspoken libertarian economist, rose to prominence, bringing the possibility of an end to the long-standing Peronist influence.
This blog post explores how the rise of Javier Milei was covered in both the US and Argentine media. Leveraging AWS tools such as Comprehend and Translate, we conducted a sentiment analysis on news articles to identify trends and biases in the reporting from both countries.
A New Era: The Rise of Javier Milei and the End of Peronismo
Javier Milei’s ascent as a political outsider, advocating for minimal government intervention and harsh criticism of Argentina’s economic management under Peronist governments, reshaped the electoral discourse. Milei’s message resonated particularly with younger voters and those frustrated with inflation and financial instability. His rise represents a potential break from Peronismo and a significant shift in Argentina’s political landscape, making it an interesting case for comparative media analysis.
Methodology and Tools: Analyzing Media Sentiment with AWS
We utilized several AWS tools to compare the sentiment and tone of the US and Argentine media coverage. The critical components of our analysis included:
- AWS Comprehend: This tool was used to conduct a comprehensive sentiment analysis on the articles, identifying whether the tone was positive, negative, neutral, or mixed.
- AWS Translate: Since many Argentine news sources were in Spanish, AWS Translate translated these articles into English for a uniform analysis.
- Web Scraping: We collected articles from major news outlets in both the US (e.g., The New York Times, CNN) and Argentina (e.g., Clarín, La Nación) using web scraping techniques to build a dataset.
- Data Cleaning: We removed redundant information, such as advertisements or irrelevant sections, to focus solely on the article content.
AWS Tools: Comprehend and Translate
- Comprehend: AWS Comprehend provided an effective method for sentiment analysis by evaluating each article and assigning it a sentiment score, categorizing content as positive, neutral, or negative.
- Translate: For the Spanish articles from Argentine media, AWS Translate ensured that translations were accurate and natural, allowing us to compare sentiment across different languages consistently.
Web Scraping and Sentiment Analysis
Using Python-based web scraping libraries like BeautifulSoup and Scrapy, we extracted over 500 articles from US and Argentine news outlets, focusing on the 2023 election cycle. These articles were then processed using AWS Comprehend, which analyzed the tone, identifying sentiment as positive, negative, or neutral and providing a sentiment score for each article.
Compiled Data: A Snapshot of Media Coverage
Once the articles were compiled and analyzed, the data revealed significant differences in the tone of coverage between US and Argentine news outlets. US media, particularly mainstream outlets, tended to provide more neutral or slightly negative coverage of Javier Milei, often emphasizing the risks of his radical economic proposals. Argentine media, in contrast, exhibited a broader range of sentiment, with some outlets portraying Milei as a necessary disruptor of the old political order, while others warned of the potential dangers of his policies.
Analysis and Results: Sentiment Trends in US and Argentine News
Scatterplot: Positive vs. Negative Sentiment
A scatterplot comparing positive and negative sentiment across US and Argentine articles revealed an interesting trend. US media had fewer extreme sentiment scores, showing a more balanced reporting style with a mild negative skew. In contrast, Argentine media displayed a broader spectrum, with some articles expressing extreme positivity or negativity towards Milei, reflecting the polarization in Argentine politics.
Histogram: Neutral Sentiment by Article Length
We also examined whether article length impacted the neutrality of the content. A histogram of neutral sentiment by article length showed that longer articles, particularly those from Argentine outlets, tended to adopt a more neutral tone. In contrast, shorter articles, especially in US media, leaned towards negative sentiment, possibly due to space constraints that limit in-depth analysis.
Line Graph: Negative Sentiment Over Time
A line graph tracking negative sentiment in both US and Argentine media throughout the election cycle revealed spikes in negative coverage during key campaign moments, such as debates and policy announcements. The US media’s negative sentiment spiked notably when Milei’s more radical proposals—such as dollarizing the economy—gained international attention. Argentine media, however, displayed a more fluctuating pattern of negative sentiment, often influenced by domestic scandals or controversies surrounding Milei.
Sentiment Score Comparisons
On average, sentiment scores were slightly more negative in US media (with an average sentiment score of -0.25) compared to Argentine press (which had an average of -0.05). This reflects a more cautious approach in the US media, which often framed Milei’s rise as part of a broader global trend of populist, anti-establishment candidates.
Conclusion: Discerning Differences and Potential Biases in Political Reporting
The analysis reveals distinct differences in how the US and Argentine media covered the 2023 election cycle. While US outlets tended to focus on Milei’s potential risks and policy concerns with moderate negativity, Argentine outlets showed a broader range of opinions. This may be due to the higher stakes and polarization within Argentina, where media bias often aligns with political affiliations.
Ultimately, our analysis, powered by AWS tools, shows how sentiment trends can provide deeper insights into the biases and perspectives that shape international political reporting.