Public Security Diaries

In Brazil, media coverage of public security issues generally ignites debate.  On the one hand, journalists point to the well known fact that they do not have time needed for preparing, researching and writing stories; on the other hand, academics in public security question the ethical values of communications media and its failure to treat the subject with greater depth.

But between two extremes there is always a meeting point, and a new way of discussing the subject was discovered. Blogs and other independent internet sites, which allow for greater interactivity with readers, as well as greater freedom in publishing opinion pieces, have been used by journalists to address public security in a different manner than the media organizations that employ them.

Feel free to write, reader

Brazilian journalist Jorge Antonio Barros, with 20 years of experience behind him and author of the blog “Reporter of Crime” (Crime Reporter) for close to two, believes that giving readers a new space in which to express his opinion is one of the greatest advantages of the new medium. “The main motivation for people to turn to blogs is for the possibility of expressing their opinions in an immediate and constant manner,” said the journalist, who is associate editor of the Rio de Janeiro section of the Rio de Janeiro based newspaper, O Globo.  For Barros, it is a sign that that the Letters section of print newspapers could be much larger than they currently are..

In a similar initiative, Gustavo de Almeida, City editor of Rio de Janeiro’s Journal do Brasil newspaper, also uses his JBlog to talk about violence in Rio de Janeiro.  Online since June of 2006, Almeida welcomes readers to his personal space—linked to JB Online—with a piece that reinforces the idea that being close to readers is a good reason for journalists to have blogs, even if they also publish in major media outlets.  He states that “...blogs surfaced as a form of interaction – and actually, interaction is a form of friendship as normal and as legitimate as playing soccer or sharing dessert at an expensive restaurant.”

Blogs were born as a type of public diary, but over time they developed the traits of a specialized publication. It is perhaps because of this that the idea of a blog associated to a newspaper could seem strange to regular readers.

Photographer Rony Maltz, reader and author of a blog along with five of his friends, believes that the model can surprise the public it captivated.“The coverage by major media outlets  is too standardized, in blogs you have the opportunity to finding new angles on the same topics” he says. For Maltz, you could hardly expect though, that blogs to step out of the editorial line of the newspapers they are linked to. “Not that personal blogs are necessarily more ´impartial´ than those linked to papers, they are evidently partial: they reflect the point of view of each author,” he states.

For Jorge Antonio Barros, who recently accepted an invitation to associate his previously independent Reporter of Crime blog to O Globo Online, it did not change the essence of what he produces.  “What could have changed is that before I used more colloquial, intimate language.  Since now the audience is at least ten times larger, I am looking to write texts that are more journalistic, but even so I am still faithful to my world vision,” he affirms.

1288 and counting

On a different note, the Rio Body Count surfaced as a fountain of information specifically concerning murders in the city, based on news reports published in the papers. The site has a team made up of communication professionals.  To date, the body count numbered 1288 deaths since February 1st, 2007.

But how are these deaths reported on? Luiz Gonzaga Motta, professor of Criticial readings of the media and Media Criticism, both part of the University of Brasília (UnB) curriculum Social Communications, journalists must review what he calls “news value”.  “The question of security has been covered as violence because the media prefers sensational news, impact and drama,” he said.

For Motta, the fact that journalists have turned to personal sites reflects a general lack of inclination for change in vehicles of large circulation, even though there has been some progress. “From 1995 to 2002 journalists began to listen more closely to civil society, despite the fact that they still rely on government sources as their main sources.”

The professor believes good reporting on public security should include stakeholders, that journalists should be on alert against prejudices and preconceived notions, and should not limit their coverage merely to the facts. A news story should look for social causes and consequences, and whenever possible add important data, mention related public policies, pertinent laws, think about the story frames a particular topic and look to include alternative solutions to solve the issues at hand.  He concludes that, “we want to criticize, but at the same time offer solutions.”

Translated by Katayoun Shahrokhi and Lis Horta Moriconi

The blogs mentioned in the story (In Portuguese):

Repórter de Crime, by Jorge Antonio de Barros

JBlog by Gustavo Almeida

Rio Body Count

O sofá verde, with contributions by Rony Maltz