15/02/2009

Folha and São Paulo's problems

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

The newspaper leaves a lot to be desired concerning what is expected from the biggest daily newspaper in São Paulo in coverage of topics such as exams for teachers and school snacks

The city and state of São Paulo, where this newspaper has the absolute majority of subscribers and readers, began 2009 with serious problems.

One of them is the exam that was given to temporary teachers in the state's public education system, in which a significant number scored zero and half did not get even a five.

As it did with the strike by this group in 2008, the newspaper handled the topic superficially. It reproduced statements by authorities and, in counterpoint, it listened mechanically to the union.

The "other side" is not the union, but the teachers, whose stories did not reach the public. The newspaper does not go into the reasons why there are so many temporary teachers in the system nor the reasons so many of them did poorly on the test.

The conditions in which the test was conceived, formulated and applied (there are indications that it was far from ideal) were not elaborated.

The news and opinions of the newspaper ended up giving the idea that "blame" of the poor performance was only that of the teachers, showing they were unprepared in general. It is clear that the explanation is far more complex.

Another situation is the school snack in the city of São Paulo. In 2007 Folha raised the topic that now is being taken up again by public officials; following it this year has been a little slow.

The newspaper must be more active. Instead of nearly limiting itself to the back-and-forth between City Hall and its accusers, it should take the initiative, for example, to verify on its own the quality of the snack by asking if parents, teachers and students are satisfied with it compared to what they had before.

The topic merits more space, attention and investment than it has received. There are days in which the news about this had the same space as a photo which showed the ripped pants of a freshman in a college prank.

São Paulo residents, particularly those in the city of São Paulo, are suffering a great deal because of floods. But the newspaper has deals with it in a modest way. It told about the flooding which occurred, published photos of cars floating in the street, and counted the number of kilometers of congestion. It was very little.

On Feb. 10, for example, a story told that the city government "expects the worst February since 2004" and will do a new study of the risks only after the rainy season passes.

The calmness surrounding such a statement compares only to the passive acceptance of the argument in which the city government "always" plugs the holes "that it knows about." Both are discomforting.

There was no kind of preventive journalism. There was no systematic following of the warnings that authorities should take.

Finally, the eruption of violence in the Paraisópolis slum, and the anodyne following by this newspaper about which I have already commented, was not a motive to deepen examination of this and other communities in which the expression "powder keg" applies well, despite their frequency. Until the next explosion happens.

Biased coverage is a disservice to readers and the newspaper

Folha's coverage about the meeting of mayors in Brasília this week was a disservice to readers and the newspaper.

Stories, photos and editing had all the characteristics of biased work, far from impartiality that should guide the news.

Images of Dilma Rousseff, the president's chief of staff, with a sleepy expression and one of a member of the audience dozing were highlighted without an acceptable journalistic reason for the banality in any meeting of this type with the apparent objective to disqualify the event as irrelevant.

Stories said that the "friendly package" announced by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva frustrated "part of the audience." That was surely true, but did not mention if it satisfied another "part," which probably should have been mentioned.

The information was full of inappropriate expressions in an informative story and denoted an undeniable predisposition against the president's speech.

Even more serious was giving unusual attention for the next two days to a trivial lapse by Lula about the number of illiterates in São Paulo as if it could create a political crisis. That was not the possible target of the supposed attack, but Gov. Serra, I'm certain would be sure to pay attention.

Who are letters to the editor?

Letters:
37 from readers
15 from people in the news

Centimeters:
291 from readers
211 from people in the news
*from Feb. 7 to Feb. 13, 2009

Topics most commented during the week

1. Test for teachers
2. Corinthians soccer team
3. Congressional leadership vote

To read

"My Old Downtown," by Heródoto Barbeiro, Boitempo Publishing, 2007 (starting at 28.48 reals, or US$ 12.60) - personal memories and stories of the city told by an important São Paulo journalist

"São Paulo of My Loves," by Afonso Schmidt, Paz and Terra Publishing, 2003 (starting at 15.39 reals) - chronicles about the city, by one of its best poets, originally published the year of its 400th birthday

To see

"São Paulo Inc.," by Luis Sergio Person, with Walmor Chagas and Eva Wilma, 1965 (starting at 45.90 reals) - formidable portrait of the metropolis in its defining moment as a huge economic center and its effects on residents

"Not by Coincidence," by Philippe Barcinski, with Rodrigo Santoro and Leonardo Medeiros, 2007 (starting at 19.90 reals) - São Paulo is an important personality in this good contemporary human drama

What Folha did right...

Spread
On Friday, a good story and great graphics helped to understand the bank spread

... and where it did badly

Corinthians
Story (especially the headline) on Tuesday suggested undeniably that there was diversion of the team's money; a correction on Thursday was not proportional to the problems caused

Anac
Crass mistakes in a story on Tuesday hurt the National Civil Aviation Agency and disoriented readers; the correction on Friday was helpful, but did little to repair the problems

Retirement
For the third time in six months, the newspaper reported with great emphasis that the government will allow money to be withdrawn from federal retirement accounts for purposes other than traditional ones but is negated by the facts in a few days

Letters to the editor
Since this column began to monitor the space in the section, readers have never had such a small amount of space compared with people in the news

Dom Hélder
The newspaper let the 100th birthday of the late Archbishop Dom Hélder Câmara, an important personality in the 20th Century, pass without notice

Worth remembering
Cases that need to be looked at again

Alston
Satyagraha
Vulcano

-Translation by John Wright