About
date
Oct 1, 2022
slug
about
status
Published
tags
Notion
Website
summary
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam hendrerit metus dignissim varius commodo.
type
Page
.png?table=block&id=99ae0220-8b66-4186-8fae-014fb38dce1b&cache=v2)
I am a journalist, digital media specialist, and researcher from Brazil, currently living in Eastern France. With 25 years of experience, I've navigated a challenging yet rewarding journey. When I was starting in journalism, the internet's impact was just emerging. I’ve witnessed the dramatic shifts that rebooted an entire industry.
Quite soon it was clear that there has been a seismic shift. Even after the first Internet bubble exploded, and denialists still tried to believe that traditional journalism would never be surpassed, it was easier to understand that journalism would never return to its former state. The control of technology in delivering information became the decisive factor. Platforms, content; technology, not accuracy, were the new kids on the block. Content quality is still fundamental to me and all colleagues I know, but it’s impossible to make a business selling quality. Discoverability, safety, delivery, context, cost, business models - those are the new masters of information. Quality can make a brand strong in the long run, but to survive, the news industry needed to reshuffle from zero.
This is why my journey in journalism has been so diverse. Many labeled me as not having focus, but this is a short-sighted conclusion. I delved into diverse areas like marketing, sales, costs, and user experience, mastering each through these fields through experiences like the Founder Institute, because even the most junior content producer needs to understand what is happening around the content. My certifications in web development, IT, cybersecurity are resources I needed to truly understand new challenges, especially the most insidious of them all, disinformation.
Today, technology decides if a project or company will thrive or die, but even then, I didn’t lose a bit of my pure journalistic principles regarding accuracy, honesty, a sense of distrust in institutions (because keeping institutions in line is a journalist’s first task). Like a very controversial Brazilian journalist used to say, the journalist is the custodian of the society. Technology drastically changed the job, but the mission remains the same.
The job is immensely more complex. It can go from a new game platform to public policy being manufactured by an obscure commission. There is the apex of the cult of personality that is social media, which has been awesomely wrapped in the role of a democratic space, but is dangerous as many of the populists it boosts. There is the infinite noise, the ubiquity of dishonest right and left attempts to impose their own truths. There is all that, but the task of informing society to do the right thing and keep politicians and its backers accountable is more there than ever. This is a job that cannot be left to be done by the next bloke.
While today's media may seem to falter, it's not due to journalism or journalists but because a seismic behavioural and technological shift diverted the narrative away from them. Audiences seek engagement. The challenge was never bigger, and the stakes were never higher. Yet, I firmly believe this isn't the end - it's an opportunity. Journalism and media are crucial to help society out of the complex situation it’s in. I truly feel we are up to the task.