18/01/2009

How to attract youth to the newspaper

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

Instead of focusing its efforts on calling attention to itself with youth, the newspaper seems to prefer to wait for them to replace their parents as readers on their own

Getting youth and adolescents in the habit of reading on paper, and maintaining the habit, should be among the biggest strategic priorities for every print news organization.

The signs that youth feel an enormous attraction to digital signals are extensive and undeniable.

The risks of intellectual impoverishment with the end of traditional reading are well known.

Neuroscientist Ken Pugh of Yale University, a specialist in infant cognition, says that reading on paper "without a doubt enriches cognition more" than rapid and intermittent information obtained on a computer screen by Internet.

Folha's effort to win over readers in younger age groups is concentrated in two weekly supplements, Folhinha, which has circulated since 1963 on Saturdays, and Folhateen, which has come out Mondays since 1991.

There are at least two possible editorial approaches for this type of product. One is supported by reader Doralice Araújo, a professor in Curitiba who is a big enthusiast for educational causes and runs a dynamic blog (http://portal.rpc.com.br/gazetadopovo/blog/namira).

It "should be supportive, consultative and assertive material" that is available for the role of student readers, she says.

Mônica Pinto Rodriguez da Costa, the former editor of Folhinha, in a master's thesis indicated below, emphasized the importance of clarity and esthetics in sections for youth.

It goes in the direction of Spanish intellectuals quoted in a Jan. 3 story in "El País" 3 for whom the main objective of printed text for youth should be enjoyable to read, not an educational tool.

The two visions seem contrary, but they are complementary. It is difficult to marry them, but not impossible. And the two weekly sections in this newspaper have managed to do it frequently.

Graphically, Folha and other news organizations seem to try to mimic the Internet, with zig zags that build a cornucopia of words, images and symbols, and reproduce the multi-tasking environment which characterizes the activities of youth in front of the screen.

If the tactic works, it is an opening. I don't believe it will, but I lack empirical proof for my opinion.

What is scary is the apparent little importance the newspaper gives to the matter. To measure its degree of relevance, I sent ten questions to the managing editor.

I received just one response, which was short, with the argument that most of the information solicited is confidential.

"Folha believes that the best way to attract the young public is to produce every day a better, independent, more complete, profound newspaper concerned about being critical and pluralistic. Every day in each of its sections, it seeks to bring different aspects of reality."

In my opinion, it is a discouraging statement. Instead of concentrating its efforts and resources on calling attention to itself with youth, the newspaper seems to prefer to wait for them, as they mature, to replace their parents and grandparents as readers on their own, despite indications that this substitution is not happening.

Various newspapers around the world prefer a different route and are investing heavily in winning over youth on paper, the Internet and as an instrument in schools. I hope Folha studies this and follows the example.

Problems in economic coverage

On Monday, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released a monthly report about the world economy. Little changed in the December report. The Brazilian economy remains the only one among the countries analyzed with prospects for growth in 2009.

On Tuesday, Folha reported under the headline "Brazil's growth will slow next." If nothing new was said, it would have to be ignored. If it wants to inform about the announcement, it had to emphasize what is most important and less known.

p(star)*

State-owned Banco do Brasil bought a little under half of Banco Votorantim. Folha's coverage has been almost totally uncritical.

The question about Votorantim's "toxic derivatives" was underestimated; whether there is a public interest in Banco do Brasil's activities was not questioned; the topic of the company's generous donations to electoral campaigns was not explored.

*

Occasionally this newspaper publishes a story or opinion piece (such as on Tuesday) to remember that even without the financial transaction tax the federal government collected more taxes and that, therefore, the argument that it was indispensable was not valid.

But it has rarely mentioned the fact that an end to the tax did not cause a significant reduction in the final cost of products and services and that, therefore, the argument that it had raised costs is not sustained.

To read

"Children and the Media," by Cecilia von Feilitzen and Ulla Carlsson, translated by Dinah de Abreu Azevedo and Maria Elizabeth Santo Matar, Cortez Publishing, 2002 (starting at 36.26 reals, or U.S. $15.55) - Texts show the relationship between the media and children in 26 countries with intelligent and interesting approaches

"Reading Without Choking," by Mônica Pinto Rodriguez da Costa (master's dissertation at São Paulo Catholic Pontifical University), 1982 - A study about the reception of this newspaper's Folhina supplement by students at two schools in São Paulo

To see

"Finding Neverland," by Marc Foster, with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet (starting at 19.90 reals) - Beautiful fictional biography by the author of "Peter Pan," J.M. Barrie, shows the importance of reading and writing for youth

Who is in letters to the editor?

Letters
52 from readers
6 from people in the news

Centimeters
387 by readers
84 by people in the news
69 goodwill messages

*from Jan. 10 to Jan. 16, 2009

Most commented topics of the week

1. Israel and the Palestinians
2. Sports topics
3. Pensions

What Folha did right...

Health plans
The newspaper did well with precise coverage about changes in regulations for heath insurance plans

U.S. Visa
On Saturday, exclusive information that visas for the United States will now be valid for 10 years was highlighted

Gaza history
Artwork and text did a good job showing the history of Gaza on Thursday

...And where it was wrong

Ronaldo
Obsession with the soccer player wasted space with photos and redundant, superfluous news that could be utilized in wider coverage of soccer competitions in progress

Future of Gaza
On Wednesday, the edition highlighted the "freezing" of the Israeli offensive, which heated up even more the next day

Need remembering
Topics that need to be revisited

This week marks five months since Folha announced in a headline the creation of a state company to explore for oil exclusively in the so-called "pre-salt" area and four months since it reported in another headline that individual unemployment/retirement account funds would be used to finance it.

-Translation by John Wright