#cometothestreet, Folha

07/02/2013 - 12h50

The unexpected explosion of discontent that we have seen in cities shows that something needs to change in traditional journalism. Why is it that nobody understood how the mood was so onerous?

Surveys which point to a high approval rate for the president and good employment rates seem to indicate that, despite inflation and the weak economy, everything was fine. It would appear that the Confederation Cup being played in Brazil would increase the feeling of well being, since, according to common sense, soccer always adds an ingredient of national pride at a political moment.

The multitudes, with their cries of protest, gave a "looping" to these certainties and made it clear that the channels of the press are insufficient to capture the changes of society's mood.

If it were a movement born on the fringes of the city, the surprise would have been more understandable. But the trigger of the protests was set in motion by middle-class urban youth, a public theoretically close to a newspaper such as Folha.

In his column, "The media's turn," in the arts and entertainment section last Wednesday, Marcelo Coelho asserted that people who protested in the streets and on social networks "feel poorly represented in traditional media." Among other factors, Coelho cited a "generational abysm" in which he identified the lack of young people writing in the newspaper or being interviewed to comment about the movement.

Rejuvenating the corps of columnists could help to create better harmony with the streets, but, certainly, that's not enough. A more professional monitoring of the social networks is another way, since they have demonstrated their strength in the mobilizations around the country.

It's necessary to learn to interpret the trends on Facebook and Twitter, separating what is really important from the froth. It means making reality out of the pretentious slogan from the newspaper's most recent publicity campaign in which a girl said: "Folha follows what I think and what I don't think. Folha follows me. I follow Folha."

It's not an easy task because it implies inventing a means of covering what is outside of institutions. To understand what the protesters want, it's no use to call unions, student associations, or political parties. There are not even defined leaders, which subverts the logic of political reporting.

Lost, the press does not tire of reproducing the placards designed by the marchers in the hope of deciphering, through these pieces of paper, such a new phenomenon. Besides shaking different jurisdictions of power, the youth of #cometothestreet have become another headache for journalists.

A FRENETIC RHYTHM

It has not been easy to perform journalism in recent weeks. Since the protests took over the country, the news has changed with the rhythm of a roller coaster. One day, it is necessary to explain what a Constituent Assembly exclusive for political reform would be; 24 hours later, this proposal had already been postponed.

In two days Congress reached more decisions than it had made in the previous six months. The 37th Constitutional Amendment proposal, which limits the actions of the Inspector General's Office, was buried summarily. They voted on the destination of oil royalties and also the project to make corruption a felony.

Even the Supreme Court was shaken: it ordered the immediate arrest of a member of Congress. The São Paulo city government canceled a tender for buses, and the state announced it would not raise transportation fares.

These immediate responses to what is believed the protesters wanted form a myriad of difficult measures to be discussed in a short time. It's the job of the newspapers, where there is more space for reflection, to deepen the debate and show that things are not as good as they seem.

Isn't keeping transportation rates the same a form of subsidizing individual transportation? Where will the government cut the R$ 50 billion (US$ 22.5 billion) that would have gone for transportation projects? Is more funding being diverted away from educational improvements?

In the same way that politicians reacted to the urgency created by the popular clamor, the newspaper needs to "provide service." It's time to do something different, analyzing every topic without entering into a climate of "now Brazil will move forward."

Translated by JOHN WRIGHT

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