The epistolary genre in the press as a citizen´s vision of the public sphere in Colombia

Abstract

Through an inductive thematic analysis, this article explores the citizen´s vision of the public sphere expressed in the letters to the editor of the newspapers El Tiempo and El Heraldo of Colombia. Results show the collective identity of readers appearing transversely in the letters, to account for an adult community that defines itself as “good Colombians”. The analysis revealed two units of meaning: the first one, positions about public institutions, and the second one, antagonisms in the public sphere, focusing on the political conflict with the guerrillas. Through these it was possible to make visible the public´s plea for action to the government, to public officials, to actors outside the law and fellow citizens to become mobilized to demand for much needed social changes.