Circulation et fonction de la médisance en campagne électorale

Abstract

In politics, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the private and the public spheres of politicians. Electoral campaigns favour this indistinction and, occasionally, rumours, gossips and detrac-tion, in short, are part of the public debate and electoral environment. In this paper, it is intended to point out the features and ways of circulation of a gossip in the course of a campaign for legislative elec-tions in Portugal.