04/05/2008

Severino life and Serafina life

CARLOS EDUARDO LINS DA SILVA
ombudsman@uol.com.br

The path that will guarantee relevance of daily newspapers in their fight for survival does not apply to magazines that cover celebrities.

At the top of Folha's front page last Sunday were side by side Severino life as described by author João Cabral de Melo Neto ("earning meager things every day") and the Serafina life, which he did not describe, but what he referred to when he wrote "the beautiful avenues where the address and the neighborhood are refined people" in "Death and Life of a Severino," a 1955 story poem by the native of Pernambuco state (in Brazil's Northeast).

That's where the fruit wagon was that earned 13.60 reals (about US $8.20) to travel 50 kilometers of streets, and the model, who gets 15,000 reals ($9,000) to walk 30 meters on a runway. She earns 500 reals ($300) per meter; he,.00016 cent.

It is possible to argue that this is a good description of Brazil, which already has the nickname of Belindia (a mixture of Belgium and India), the "land of contrasts," as the cliché goes.

It is not likely that this close proximity occurred to anyone because the newspaper wanted to call the reader's attention to the social chasm that separates rich from poor in this society. It is more likely that it resulted from a stiff formula, which requires putting the supplements side by side in the case of magazines in the newspaper.

The most sensitive people would feel offended by the disparate opposing scenes shown involuntarily. The two stories were like one telling about the menu in a five-star restaurant and another about prison rations published together on the same page about food.

The journalistic news was not to show differences in income, but to launch Serafina, a new Sunday publication coming out in Folha every month whose purpose is to focus on prominent personalities Brazil and the world, the director of magazines at the newspaper told "Meio&Mensagem" ("Medium & Message," an online publication about media and publicity).

It is a magazine that tells about celebrities. My opinion is that this is not the path to guarantee relevance of daily newspapers in their fight for survival. Nevertheless, I must analyze the product from the viewpoint of readers and the strategic logic that Folha intends to follow.

Of the readers who contacted the ombudsman to comment on the magazine, 60% did not like it. Among the rest, 20% said they liked it but complained that it does not circulate outside the São Paulo metropolitan area, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília. The other 20% complained about the lack of women and blacks among its subjects.

In the genre of celebrity magazines, Serafina strikes me as a good product. I think the name is a bit strange, that the example of "Piauí" (a state in northern Brazil) seems to seek calling attention to exploring the contradiction between a sophisticated product and a name associated with poverty, something malicious and debauched, in my opinion.

I thought that the initial pages seemed unnecessarily too much like the magazine "Caras" (faces). In the past 25 years, this newspaper has imposed standards on the press; now is not the time for it to copy others. In fact, Serafina seems above average among similar magazines.

The doubt is whether Folha readers appreciate this genre. The biggest part of those who contacted me called the magazine "trash," "regrettable," "useless," and "tendentious." Some called it "very pretty" or "new design." I believe that the silent majority approved of it without enthusiasm.

These are all opinions, therefore debatable. It is irrefutable that a group of subscribers and buyers on newsstands are losing out by not receiving Serafina with their newspaper, while they pay the same price (or more) for it.

What would be the editorial reaction from Folha if milk producers started to sell outside of these areas containers with 900 milliliters for the same price as a liter sold in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília?

Privacy for Olympians

Soccer star Ronaldo Nazário, called the "Phenomenon," could have been one of the people in the premiere edition of "Serafina." He habitually frequents the pages of this type of magazine because he is rich and famous.

There is an industry that lives on exploiting the image of these "Olympic" personalities, a typical phenomenon of the 20th Century: people famous not for what they do, but for the lives they lead, as defined by essayist Clive James.

Among the main beneficiaries of this activity are evidently the celebrities themselves, who receive small fortunes to promote products or events and, most of all, need to always been in vogue.

It just so happens that the lives of these people are not always charm and beauty. When something unfortunate happens and journalism reports it, there is no lack of complaints about invasion of privacy. Some readers made this case in the story about Ronaldo being caught with transvestite prostitutes.

Those who seek celebrity and live by it have less right to complain about privacy than others. I agree with Folha's stylebook about this (which deals with the topic on pages 27 and 28) and academics such as Diógenes V. Hassan Ribeiro, the author of a book recommended in this column.

"They are people more subject to the curiosity of others, even by reason of provoking this curiosity for professional reasons and economic interests," Ribeiro said.

Still, it is clear that there are limits in ethics and good taste that should be respected case by case. In the matter of Ronaldo, in my opinion, Folha stayed within these boundaries.

Quotations from readers

"It is truly trash, blabbering like a gossip magazine, photos without a purpose, throwing pages, paper and ink in the garbage"
LORENZO MENDOZA about "Serafina"

"Once again Folha launches a product which has restricted circulation. I pay a lot of money for Folha on Sundays in Porto Alegre and it comes without Serafina.... It is unfair to pay for an incomplete product.
ISRAEL DE CASTRO

Topics most commented during the week

1. The Isabella story
2. Serafina magazine
3. The Ronaldo story

What the newspaper did right

South America
Correspondents and stringers guarantee distinct coverage of important political developments on the subcontinent.

Readers
"Letters to the Editor" has earned its keep and improved its quality with the publication of more letters from everyday readers instead of spokespersons and authorities.

And where it was wrong

Ranking
The "Vitrine" (showcase) supplement and front page published rankings of bookstores starting off with quick analysis of subjective criteria that lacked scientific precision to allow taxing assertions.

Too many police
Tuesday's front page had four police stories: it is too much for a newspaper such as Folha.

Summary
Folha Corrida (a news summary page) frequently repeats photos almost identical to those published inside, wasting paper and the time of readers.

To read

"Protection of Privacy," by Diógenes V. Hassan Ribeiro (2003, Unisinos). Excellent study about the topic from a legal and ethical point of view (starting at 12.60 reals).

"Skidding into Death" by Antônio Fausto Neto (1991, Rio Fundo). The book shows that even in death, the media treat "Olympians" as paradigms (on sale where used books are available).

To see

"Celebrities," by Woody Allen, with Kenneth Branagh (1998). An excellent film about a journalist who covers the lives of celebrities (starting at 12.60 reals).

Translation by John Wright