20/09/2009

Why so few ombudsmen?

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

Folha was the first news organization in this country to create, on Sept. 24, 1989, the position of ombudsman

ALBERTO DINES, precursor to the ombudsman in this country:
"Don't get involved with this, you'll only make enemies!" The wise man Octavio Frias de Oliveira (then-publisher) tried to persuade me to not start this column of press criticism at Folha. Like always, Frias was right on target. We journalists make demands on others but hate demands being placed on us. For this reason, nobody wants to spend his life fighting with professional colleagues. Furthermore, those being criticized are always in charge.

CAIO TÚLIO COSTA, first ombudsman at Folha:
Because the press is known for and knows itself that its product is inexact, incomplete, and unjust; that leads to insecurity (first reason) from setting oneself up to public scrutiny. Because if a competitor stops scrutinizing, it is easier to accuse it of a "marketing trick" and not copying (second). Because it is expensive (third) to remain professional in such an undesirable position (fourth). Because it is hard to find people naive enough (fifth) to take the job. Because the limits of the job are the business (sixth) and this industry proceeds in a schizophrenic way with limitations.

MARIO VITOR SANTOS, twice ombudsman at Folha and once at iG (Internet group) website:
Because the activity is frightening and to be avoided. When it is carried out in an independent and critical way, it wears out journalists and is a source of "image" problems for managers of news organizations. Ombudsmen end up exposing the manipulation of information, whether for political motives, to obtain an audience, or both, what is the rule in most news organizations.

MARA GAMA, ombudsman at UOL (Online Universe):
For the most part, the ombudsman also ends up making the fallibility of his own actions obvious. And being susceptible to the same failures as his colleagues, why take the job? Could it be that he can really see and act critically when confronting his colleagues? This could look contradictory and cause disgrace. The public at times revolts when it sees the limits of the ombudsman's actions.

ERNESTO RODRIGUEZ, ombudsman at TV Cultura in São Paulo:
We journalists love to accuse, but we don't consider ourselves to be part of this world of so many errors. Our arrogance is accustomed to being inversely proportional to the space we set aside to confess our mistakes. And our worst sin is to believe that the rest of the material published is always correct, precise, relevant, ethical and responsible.

ROBERTO HIRAO, former ombudsman at "Folha da Tarde" and author of the book indicated below:
I attribute it to the environment of lack of interest (or can it be fear?) by organizations which control newspapers to open themselves up to the public. This situation is aggravated by apathy from a good number of journalists.

ANDY ALEXANDER, ombudsman at the "Washington Post":
The financial crisis has led to layoffs of ombudsmen. There is growing sentiment that the blogosphere can offer the scrutiny that the ombudsman provides. But these justifications only hide the fact that the managers of news organizations don't like to see their performance criticized.

ALICIA SHEPARD, ombudsman at National Public Radio:
In difficult economic times, cutting the position of ombudsman is easy, since it is not essential to putting together a newspaper or radio on the air. But it is essential to increase credibility.

JUDITH BRITO, president of the National Newspaper Association
In first place, because of the cost. Second, because among the options to be more professional, the creation of the position of ombudsman is most disagreeable. It requires courage and maturity because the work of the ombudsman is to expose problems and criticize the work of colleagues. It is not easy to live with this situation.

ROBERTO MUYLAERT, president of the National Association of Magazine Editors:
Because it is easy and fast, while subject to errors, to perform the work on the one hand, from the newsroom to the reader, which interacts with someone inside, whose mission is to point out errors. Only mature professionals accept constructive criticism well.

TO READ

"70 Lessons from Journalism," by Roberto Hirao, Publifolha (starting at 23.32 reals, or U.S. $12.85).

TO SEE

"Saturdays with the Ombudsman," in its entirety starting tomorrow night www.folha.com.br/092591

WHO IS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR? *
Letters
from readers 47
from people in the news 14

Centimeters
from readers 298
from people in the news 228
*from Sept. 12 to 18, 2009

TOPICS MOST COMMENTED DURING THE WEEK
1. Digital edition
2. Investigation of contractors
3. Ombudsman column

WHAT FOLHA DID RIGHT...

DIGITAL EDITION
After a long delay, the newspaper launches its digital edition on the Internet, with a standard of quality comparable to the best among its competitors

... AND WHERE IT DID BADLY

DIGITAL EDITION
Announcement of the new edition gives the mistaken impression that the old electronic edition was deactivated; it remains available at the address http://www.folha.com.br/fsp

WORTH REMEMBERING
Cases that need to be looked at again

Two months have passed since the teaser on the July 19 front page said that from 35 million to 67 million people would be affected by virus A (H1N1) and 205,000 to 4.4 million could be hospitalized; according to the most recent news from the Health Ministry, the number of cases of contamination in the country is fewer than 10,000.

Translation by John Wright