The Faces of 'Crackland'

06/20/2017 - 11h27

They are scattered around the greater square area, in the cold and rain. Wrapped in blankets and rags, the "mostly" men and women have been the daily target of photographing cameras seeking to record one of the greatest São Paulo tragedies of the 21st century. They have no rights whatsoever, not even to privacy.

On May the 21st, the São Paulo police carried out one of its largest operations to combat drug trafficking in the so-called "Cracolandia" or "Crackland". After repression and violence, hundreds of drug users left Dino Bueno Avenue and Helvetia Street. They have now massed together at the Princess Isabel Square, and are subjected to uncoordinated actions by the municipal and state authorities.

In documenting what was taking place, Folha published and repeatedly highlighted images of users taking drugs in clear daylight. In doing so, the newspaper repeated a mistake it has made previously.

In 2011 ombudsman Suzana Singer condemned the publication of a series of photographs on the front page of Folha which showed a man in a business suit purchasing, preparing and smoking what looked like a crack pipe on a street in "Crackland".

The editorial board argued that the potential harm that could be caused in the life of the person being photographed by publishing it was discussed but that "the public interest of the photographic reporting, that shows that the crack phenomena isn't necessarily linked to poverty and didn't only affect street dwellers, prevailed in the decision to publish the images". It informed, however, that the policy was "under discussion".

Six years later the "Crackland" problem persists and the newspaper proved itself once again to be addicted to the easy solution of exposing people who are sick. It is possible to present impactful and newsworthy images in such a manner that the people in them are not recognizable.

Folha's managing editor Vinicius Mota justified: "Trafficking and consuming drugs in public areas in clear daylight is an inescapable fact of 'Crackland' coverage. The inadvertent exposure of adults [there is legal protection for minors including procedures that the newspaper follows] in these situations, although it isn't the objective of the reporting, seems inevitable. Adopting procedures to mask the visual identity of users and traffickers inadvertently exposed in the images of this coverage would seem artificial and even censorial".

This justification is based on reasoning, simplistic in my opinion, that the newspaper reports on events without being responsible for the narrative or the images that it selects.

There are those who agree with this, and who say that exposing users can actually save them. That is what happened in the case of a man who was recognized by his colleagues from a school in Rio, who ended up rescuing him along with his mother who went in search of her son after a report by Folha. In this case, however, the man had asked to be filmed and had revealed that he wanted to leave "Crackland".

This is a different situation than that of others, who are so mired in drugs that they can't even manage a keep up a minimal conversation.

According to Datafolha polling, 80% of São Paulo capital residents are in favor of internment of drug-dependents even when it is against their will. Regarding the police action in May, 59% say that they approved of it; according to 53%, however, there was violence involved. For 62%, the level of force used was sufficient or less than what was necessary.

The theme has been a priority, and rightly, has been worthy of investment of the newspaper's resources. There is a notorious disconnection, however, between what the majority of the population wants and the proposals put forth by the experts, reverberated by the newspaper.

Some readers have accused Folha of bias in its coverage. Reader Lavoisier Castro commented that analyses were all against the anti-crack actions taken. "Why is there so much hysteria to discredit this confrontational action against drug trafficking?" It is true that there are few divergent voices. It is possible to widen the debate, opening up the range of those interviewed to go beyond simple opposed/in favor.

Mota declares that Folha's objective is to be balanced. "In our opinion, we are meeting our objective, although there still are many subjects and happenings to be dealt with in this complex theme."

In less than 10 years, two different mayors of São Paulo - Gilberto Kassab in February of 2008 and João Doria just last month - have already decreed an end to "Crackland". The day-after denied them.

As doctor Drauzio Varella pointed out, "Crackland" is only one aspect of a greater, more complex problem. "Everyone has to come to the realization that it isn't possible to do away with 'Crackland'. It isn't the cause of anything. It is the consequence of a social order that leaves a mass of boys and girls at the margin of society on the outskirts of our cities, without opportunities."

There are those who disagree with this evaluation. The right to dignity and healthcare are humanistic values. They are a kind of clause held as written in stone in developed and just societies, and something that journalism also should uphold.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

Read the article in the original language