News Coming from the Schools Challenges the Media

10/31/2016 - 10h17

In June of 2013, a wave of protests was occupying Brazilian streets, increasing on a scale that nobody could have imagined.

At the end of 2015, the Movimento Secundarista (Secondary School Movement) made it into the news when numerous schools in São Paulo were occupied by protesters who were against a school reorganization plan being proposed by the Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB) administration.

As a result of the mobilization, the project, which would have closed some schools, was suspended.

In April 2015, students from technical schools in São Paulo occupied public buildings in protest against the quality of school lunches.

Since the beginning of October, students in many parts of Brazil, most prominently and visibly in Paraná, have set off a new movement of school occupations.

The protests are against the interim legislative measure for the reorganization of secondary education and the constitutional amendment that was created to limit public spending and that could end up reducing investments in education.

The protesters complain that there is no discussion taking place with those most interested and affected - students themselves.

Folha has provided timid coverage of the movement. To illustrate the extension of the movement, on Friday (28), according to student entities and organizations, there were 123 universities and 1,197 other schools occupied throughout the country; around 850 in Paraná alone.

Reader Adjalma Rodrigues da Silva complained about the lack of headlines: "Is no one interviewing students, or showing what is going on? Where is our right to information?

The editor of the Cities section, Eduardo Scolese, defended the editorial choices.

"The newspaper has been following this from the beginning, covered the advance of the occupations and started giving heightened emphasis this week, with the death of a student and the outbreak of tension between students and those who are against the occupations. The theme is relevant and worthy of our undivided attention", he declared.

From my point-of-view, the coverage until now has been basically registering what is happening, although the reporting did pick up intensity on Saturday (29).

Folha reader hasn't had the opportunity yet to get to know in depth the movement's protagonists or its antagonists. For the vast majority of them, the occupations are their first political experience.

What everyone expects from Folha is an interpretation of the movement, giving voice to the youth and fomenting debate among those who are older.

Since the facts themselves and their implications aren't sufficient, a figure has arisen combining concatenated ideas, linguistic articulation and an attitude of activism.

Anyone who saw the 10 minute & 30 second speech of 16-year-old Ana Júlia Pires Ribero in the Paraná Legislative Assembly Tribunal perceived that she has something to say and deserves to be heard.

On Wednesday the 16th, no major newspaper noted the unusual presence of students at the tribunal. On Thursday, at 12:53, the site of the American magazine "Forbes" captured the importance of the young person's speech. Only at 19:00 did Folha put up a profile of Ana Júlia, recovering from her speech.

"Who is the school from? Who does it belong to?" she asked. And as she humbly explained that young people have difficulty in forming thought processes, she put the press in the game, praising its role in the formation of critical thinking.

"We have to read everything that the media provides us with, process it and understand it selectively, to then decide what we agree with and what we don't. It's a difficult process."

The newspaper has to offer more consistent and analytical information to a generation that is bombarded by information coming from all sides at once.

Ana Júlia said: "One week of occupation has brought us more knowledge about politics and citizenship than many more years that we will have in the classroom".

This is not the place to be in favor or against the points of view that she expressed, but it is moving to see her defending them with such clarity, balance and passion.

It may have been the best political speech in recent history. There is news in it, and joy.

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Folha in numbers

Folha's administration divulged consolidated financial data for the Empresa Folha da Manha, the company that publishes this newspaper. In 2015 net revenues were R$707,9 million (US$ 221,2 million) with net profits of R$9,4 (US$ 2,94 million).

The numbers cited here in this column last Sunday (the 23rd) didn't take into account certain business units - Datafolha, Publifolha, Livaria da Folha and Transfolha - that are under the same administrative and accounting/finance operational structure.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

Read the article in the original language