08/02/2009

Far beyond the bonfire of the vanities

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

A minimum of editorial effort could make coverage of Brasília much more relevant

Every two years, when elections for the presidency of the two houses of Congress take place, political journalism goes through a period of ecstacy.

Conspiracies, gossip, betrayals and trial balloons, which are a feast for reporters and readers who are addicted to conventional political coverage, are all concentrated into a few days.

For society, the impact of all this is almost nothing. The bonfire of the vanities appeared again this year.

Folha's work was lazy as ever. Shuffling the thrones of veterans who have already held the job twice is the maximum expression of predictability, coronated in the headline on Tuesday which announced what everybody already knew for weeks would happen and was already a reality for almost an entire day.

It does not need to be that way. A minimum of editorial effort could make coverage of the world of Brasília much more relevant for the country.

On the same day that the same thing was repeated, the president sent Congress, as is determined in the Constitution, his annual message to the legislature to explain what he did in the previous year and announce his priorities for the year that is starting.

Except for two items in the Letters to the Editor, this newspaper completely ignored the document, which constituted nothing less than the executive branch's agenda for 2009.

This document should be the theme for a big national debate, a reference for all the editors at the newspaper to decide coverage, demand that commitments are made, check if government is doing what it promised, discuss what it considers important for society, and measure its relationship with Congress.

The United States is not necessarily a positive example for things. There, however, this same document from the president to Congress is sent in a ceremony transmitted live on nationwide TV, is scrutinized by news organizations in detail and guides the people in their judgment of the government's actions. It is better than the sideshow staged by the leaders of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies.

The citizen who knows what the government says what it will do during the year also is more capable of controlling its actions. What better role is there for the press than to arm itself with this information, which, after all, is public?

By contrast, what use do daily readers have for the mountain of nonsense spoken by candidates for leadership of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate and those who try to influence the result of the election?

Paraisópolis is the tip of the iceberg

Folha had inexplicably weak coverage of two violent incidents in the Paraisópolis slum in São Paulo this week.

It was marked by discreet teasers on the front page, little space inside, weak editorial effort and minimal demands for state authorities to explain.

Only on Friday, when a columnist decided to write about the topic at length, did the newspaper show the first sign of vitality about the topic by running part of his column on the front page.

The facts were sufficiently serious to justify a much bigger effort. But the main failure was to not take advantage of them to stimulate debate about the proliferation of slums.

Their exponential growth requires that the newspaper respond to the seriousness of the problem, one of the most severe that Brazil confronts and seems hidden for decades.

The anodyne registry of these explosions is journalistically and socially irresponsible.

To read

"Political Journalism," by Franklin Martins, Contexto Publishing, 2005 (starting at 24.52 reals, or US $10.85) - Observations made in 2005 starting with 40 years of creativity as a political reporter and now minister of communications.

"Journalism and Political Democracy in Brazil," by Carolina Matos, Publifolha, 2008 (starting at 42.42 reals) - Excellent analysis of how the press and politics interacted in Brazil between 1984 and 2002

"The Reporter and Power," by José Carlos Bardawil (interviewed by Luciano Suassuna), Alegro Publishing, 1999 (starting at 49.86 reals) - Memoirs of one of the nation's best political reporters, who worked from 1967 until he died in 1997

To see

"Heartburn," by Mike Nichols, with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, 1986 (available for rent) - Romantic comedy about a pair of journalists in Washington (the male role was inspired by Carl Bernstein) shows the lives of journalists at the center of power

"Advise and Consent," by Otto Preminger, with Henry Fonda, 1962 (for sale on American websites) - Merciless story about how unscrupulous politicians vote on matters of great importance

What Folha did right...

Real gains
Doing its own polling work gave the newspaper a good headline on Thursday about real gains by workers in collective bargaining agreements

Tax reviews
Exclusive reporting resulted in an important story about the distribution of tax refunds for 100,000 people who were stuck while their tax returns were being reviewed

Antibiotics
Another exclusive story told on Friday about the sale of medicine without prescriptions and schemes to "push" medicines on consumers

...And where it did badly

Deficits
On Jan. 22, the newspaper had its first blunder of the year, about the deficit in the public pension fund since 1995, on an inside page below the fold; on Tuesday the subhead on the front page was about the first monthly deficit in the trade balance since 2001: unequal criteria for similar events is always a serious mistake

Abdelmassih
Important space on the op-ed page still was not given to those who made accusations against the doctor, but was occupied by those who defend him

Luxemburgo
Space in the Letters to the Editor became an arena for the confrontation between soccer coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo and columnist Juca Kfouri; the topic should be handled on the sports page

-Translation by John Wright