O conteúdo policial como vetor de audiência: uma análise do site Imediato entre 2022 e 2024

Abstract

This study analyzes the consumption data of police-related content published on the website Imediato, a digital news outlet based in Manaus (Amazonas, Brazil), between the years 2022 and 2024. From the outset, the research aimed to assess whether the recurrence of police news among the most accessed content confirms a common perception shared in local newsrooms—that this type of news is the public’s sole and primary interest. Based on audience metrics obtained through the Google Analytics platform and internal records provided by the site’s management, the study adopts a methodological approach that emphasizes quantitative data, with qualitative support, also considering the author's professional experience as a reporter for the analyzed outlet. Additionally, the research enables observation of how frequently police content appears in monthly rankings of the most visited articles and examines the audience profile by demographic characteristics and average time spent on the pages. Theoretically, the work draws upon the concepts of Gatekeeping and Culture Industry to better understand how market logic and editorial perception influence the daily production and consumption of news. The findings highlight the strong presence of police-related content in access statistics and offer critical reflections on the standardization of news agendas, the immediacy of production, and the role of the audience as an active contributor to journalism in digital environments.