Life of a Reporter: The Glamorous Times are Over

05/08/2017 - 11h31

Journalism and journalists usually appear as glamorized in the arts in general. With a certain dose of cynicism and irony, we can cite as an example a passage from the English Writer Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), in "Scoop!" "As a rule, there is one thing you can always count on in our job - popularity. There are plenty of disadvantages I grant you, but you are liked and respected.

Ring people up any hour of the day or night, butt into their houses uninvited to make them answer a string of damn fool questions when they want to do something else - they like it. Always a smile and the best of everything for the gentlemen of the Press."

The romantic reality of the profession, however, has been altered. The glamorous times are not only over, it seems as if they have been substituted by the dark ages in the construction of the function.

An American site specializing in employment, CareerCast, for the third year in a row, ranked the profession of reporter as the worst in the USA.

The survey takes into consideration prospects for career growth, income, working conditions and stress.

Journalists that cover politics, especially, are under stress in the United States as well as here in Brazil.

The decline in advertising revenues that affects newspapers, radio and television stations and internet portals has landed the profession of reporter among the 13 worst for employment outlook, with an expected negative rate of growth until 2024.

In a transition phase regarding its model and characteristics, journalism isn't the greatest place for someone who is concerned with short-term prospects for professional growth, compensation and quality of life.

In an attempt to understand the phenomenon in Brazil, I approached competent professionals from the Folha, who come from different generations, trajectories and reporting areas, to comment on the report. In the newspaper's digital edition readers can see their opinions in more detail.

Working extensively under pressure from the public and tight deadlines contribute to what is classified as high stress for reporters from different types of media.

Even though they feel the weight of criticism on their shoulders, the pressure and stress provoked by polarization, more than one reporter commented that this environment has the effect of forcing them to consider different points of view, even if they disagree directly with some of them, and to examine more closely their own prejudices and pre-conceived ideas.

Reporter Patrícia Campos Mello remembered a phrase that is attributed to American Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and is perfect for current times: "People have a right to their own opinions, but don't have a right to their own facts".

A bit of balance and hope was contained in the announcement made by the President of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Carmem Lúcia, of the creation of a commission for investigating potential obstacles to the free exercise of journalism under the scope of the National Judicial Council.

As she noted, even though censorship is prohibited, there are still difficulties and obstacles in the way for journalists to exercise their profession.

I decided to dedicate this space to a reporter's life in the hope of alerting the reader to the challenges surrounding it, as Mario Cesar Carvalho pointed out. "What stresses me is knowing that the profession runs the risk of becoming extinct, at least in the way that it existed in the 20th century.

The stress is in not seeing any possibility for the future. 'No future' is no longer just a punk slogan; it has become a real theme."

Overcoming the current crisis in journalism necessitates a decisive role for reporters. Everything has changed, except the certainty that journalism thrives on relevant news, unprecedentedly investigated and well written.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

Read the article in the original language