Journalism changes the world. This may seem an ambitious statement in an environment where political, economic, and technological pressures put the profession into question. But if we look at the past decades, we do not see the exhaustion of journalism – we see it being reshaped. Since the arrival of the commercial Internet in Brazil in 1996, the production and circulation of information has become more complex, more controversial, and, paradoxically, more dependent on professional investigative practices.
There were difficult adjustments. this Bound and O Estado de S. Paulo have reduced their teams, but maintained their importance. Vega magazine suffered a more pronounced decline, with declining circulation and corporate changes. At the same time, large portals such as UOL and G1 have consolidated rigid structures, while independent initiatives – Nexo, Jota, Sumaúma, and Consultor Jurídica – have expanded the information ecosystem.
There is an important diagnosis in the study “Technology News: Business Models and the Transformation of Journalism in the Digital Age,” coordinated by Guilherme Fowler and presented at Insper in September this year, which shows a sector in a phase of reorganization, not collapse.
The idea, widely held at the beginning of the Internet, that “anyone” would be able to produce information has not been confirmed. “Anyone” can produce content; Producing journalistic information – with methods, standards, verification and responsibility – is another thing. Just follow the debates that ignite the networks: many comment on the facts contained in the reports.
There are many historical examples. In the Collor government, violations are covered
– as well as the interview “Pedro Collor tells all”, published by Vega magazine in May 1992 – strengthened the movements that would lead to the dismissal. Then came the vote-buying scandal in the Federal Election Commission government, the monthly allocations in the Lula government, Operation Lava Jato, and the cover-up of the January 8th coup, among many others. In any case, the professional press allowed the country to understand the seriousness of the facts.
Abroad, decisive cases have marked recent history. The Watergate scandal (1972-1974) led to Nixon’s resignation after an investigation by The Washington Post. In 1996, Jeffrey Wigand, on CBS North America’s 60 Minutes, condemned tobacco industry practices that changed regulations and cost companies billions. In 2002, a Boston Globe Spotlight team exposed a systematic cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, leading to global repercussions.
In Brazil, in 2024, the STF acknowledged widespread lawsuits against journalists as a form of intimidation. In the same month, Abraji (the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism) released the “Judicial Harassment Observatory”, which includes 654 actions spread over 84 cases from 2008 to 2024. A sign of this type of persecution goes back to the case of Elvira Lobato, who faced more than a hundred concurrent actions after her report “Universal reaches 30 years with business empire”, issued in 2007, which revealed that a church company was registered in Tax haven on the island of Jersey.
These events – national and international – demonstrate that journalism remains crucial to democracy. This vitality drives the encounter Bound Faap: Journalism changes the world”, which takes place on Friday (28) and brings together Monica Bergamo, Bruno Paes Manso, Basilia Rodriguez, Renata Le Prete and young talents of the profession.
As Sergio Davila, managing editor of… BoundIn “5 Lessons in 100 Years”. Bound“, a master class offered for the Faap journalism course: “Risks are inherent in the activity. When one proposes to be a guardian of established forces (whether political, economic, or social), the reporter and the medium in which he publishes his content are under constant attack, this is a consequence.
Journalism will continue to face threats, it is part of its nature. What ensures its survival is the recognition of the value of its principles: investigating carefully, revealing what is hidden, encouraging debate and dialogue between multiple voices, and going where the audience is. This is how journalism continues, doing what it has always done and constantly learning new ways to do it. And he continues to change the world.
Trends/Discussions
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