21/10/2007

From Collor to Jobim, marketing triumphs

By Mário Magalhães
ombudsman@uol.com.br

Defense Minister Nelson Jobim disembarked in the Amazon region the Friday before last dressed as a civilian. On Saturday, he put on a camouflage military uniform and did not take it off again.

On the following days, he posed or allowed himself to be photographed with an anaconda named Metralha, a big-bellied wooly monkey and a rare jaguar. He played ball and went to a bunker.

He gave statements with a coarse impact, and his seven-day visit to border posts did not generate any revealing news.

Still, the trip got generous space in print journalism. There was no shortage of reporters and photographers in the location: the defense minister took them, at the invitation of Brazil's Air Force, including a pair from Folha.

"O Estado de São Paulo" published the headline "Amazon has owner, says Jobim." The Rio daily "O Globo" came out with "On Amazon border, Jobim criticizes Funasa (the National Health Foundation)." Folha outdid its rivals on the trip with the minister by showing him in a jumpsuit at the top of the front page on Tuesday.

The information from the day before was so unimportant that the caption on the photo used did not follow the story, but was only a picture of another animal in the daily news section.

Except for the kids, we have already seen this film. And remember it does not imply equating Jobim, in character and practice, with former President Fernando Collor (1990-92).

The problem is not the minister, who has respectable presidential ambitions the same as other aspirants, outward or reticent.

The problem is journalism. It gave a succession of factoids which did not show distinction, and it did not take a critical approach.

The newspapers subordinated themselves to a different agenda - with most of them covering candidate Collor in 1989 and the beginning of his administration. With these events, the marketing went well. When propaganda triumphs, journalism is damaged.

As columnist Janio de Freitas says, "Journalists, accepting this type of promotional trick by politicians, stop practicing journalism and act like marketers."

With the initial fuss, the trip which was short on news had repercussions, even in exaggerated caricatures. The newspaper "O Dia" was a pioneer in pointing out the irony. After that, "O Globo" questioned it.

On Sunday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - a civilian as is his subordinate Jobim - said in an interview with Folha that he accepted the invitation of the Aeronautics Administration to fly in a military fighter jet.

Will that be another overdose of promotional photographs labeled as journalism?

Folha prohibits handing out political recording

Here is good news for Folha readers: a communique sent to the editors on Monday tries to avoid a repeat of acts such as giving to a senator the tape recording of an interview the newspaper had with a lawyer.

The circular was signed by Managing Editor (for editing) Suzana Singer.

It has three phrases: "As a general rule, Folha does not provide recordings of interviews to politicians, police, lawyers, prosecutors, etc., except by judicial order. The handover of tapes by news organizations should be discussed with managers. If there is journalistic interest, we can put the contents of interviews on Folha Online."

The main guidelines at Folha, condensed in the stylebook, already had this sense. The new rule is more explicit.

The episode in question was commented upon here last Sunday: the newspaper passed to Sen. Demóstenes Torres the audiotape of an interview with a lawyer who confirmed having discussions about spying on parliamentarians in a meeting.

Now the rule is clear: Folha will decide whether or not to give public access to recordings of interviewees who deny statements attributed to them. This prerogative will not be given to third parties, whether a politician or an intermediary.

Translation by John Wright