From the "Splurge PEC" at the end of last year to the "neglected measure" to tax oil exports earlier this month, Folha readers have become accustomed to a newspaper full of adjectives against the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva government. Or not.

Many do not accept the hostile treatment of the president, others appeal to the ombudsman, not to mention those who announce the cancellation of their subscription. There are many requests for patience regarding the PT, given that the deleterious effects of the Bozozoic era (the years of the Bolsonaro government) will still be felt for a long time.

There is also a constant feeling that Folha is trapped in some kind of savage neoliberal commitment, betraying its own history as a transforming, modernizing, democracy-consolidating communication vehicle. One thing doesn't necessarily exclude the other, someone will notice, but that's a mere detail. The newspaper needs to make up its mind regarding which side it is on, it is demanded, as one of which is Bolsonarism, leaving the other as the only viable option. It would be nice if it were that simple.

It so happens that the liberal agenda of this newspaper is not limited to economic topics. The last week, marked by March 8, brought an extensive and varied menu on issues of gender, equity, representation, feminism, and physical, moral, and digital violence. Naturally, small and large solutions were discussed. The convenience of adopting dark shorts in the uniform of female soccer players. The need to raise a black woman to the Federal Supreme Court in the same country where a female judge with black skin hears "where is the judge?" upon entering the courtroom.

(A week not without mishaps, it must be noted. On Tuesday (7), the newspaper was able to grant a headline to an opportunistic influencer who wanted to "be submissive to the new boyfriend"; on Thursday (8), it provided ample visibility on the Front Page to the transphobic federal congressman who, in order to show off, wore a wig on the tribune of the Chamber.)

Such an option for diversity, evident in the comparison of its production with those of direct competitors, does justice to such a transforming and modernizing history, not only in terms of gender. Folha, at this moment, for example, is also promoting the third edition of its trainee program for black professionals. Is the newspaper therefore consistent with its journey? Again, it would be nice if it were that simple.

On the same March 8, a reader wrote to the ombudsman to complain about the "absurdly excessive space that Folha dedicates to issues of race, gender and inequality". Of coverage that would be "repetitive, which shows a handful of cases, generalizes them, with excessive ideological relevance".

Days earlier, another reader had complained about what he classified as "religious proselytism". He commented on an article in Folhinha ( the kid's section of the newspaper) about a gospel influencer and questioned the need for the newspaper to have columnists dedicated to the evangelical universe. "This audience, whom you try so hard to please, does not read Folha or any other traditional newspaper. On the contrary: because of this, you have been losing subscribers for decades." On Instagram, the tone of reactions to the article was not very different. Someone complained about "the podium provided for the new generation of Damares".

Isolated opinions? Perhaps. It is reasonable to imagine, however, that here too there may be some confusion between an ingrained conception of the newspaper and the directions it has been taking. Not so much because of "identity agendas", as the first reader underlines, but because of what Folha is failing to do. For other reasons, ranging from a tight budget to new and challenging dynamics in journalism, Folha is not doing much.

It is imperative, however, that it pursue what matters most at the moment for this unequal society. It is its history.

LOCAL REPORT

The headline on the website was somewhat generic for afternoons in São Paulo: "Rain causes death, floods, and landslides in São Paulo; CET ( Traffic Engineering Company) suspends car rotation". The one in the printed newspaper came closer to the actual tragedy: "Storm floods streets and kills woman inside a car in São Paulo". The news appears even in the most closed focus: an 88-year-old woman drowned in Moema inside her own car. For those who are not from São Paulo, Moema is an upper-middle-class neighborhood, with extensive urban infrastructure, relatively flat, which makes the episode absolutely unusual. One of the things that Folha is not doing is exercising this local look when talking about its own city.

In an article the following day, the newspaper reported that the lady was self-sufficient and full of life and that she had gone out to buy bread when she ended up stuck in the trap that Gaivota street had become. Did the newspaper talk to the family? No, it reproduced her granddaughter's post on social networks. This is one of the so-called new dynamics of journalism.

_{Translated by Cassy Dias}