The United States has Propublica, the U.K. has the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and Chile has the Center for Investigative Journalism (Ciper). Brazil will soon join the ranks of countries with these independent centers, as Natália Viana, a journalist and collaborator with WikiLeaks, announced the creation of “Pública” (Public), the first investigative journalism agency in the country.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has appointed Brazilian journalist Elisabeth Costa as its new secretary general. Costa, whom the IFJ describes as a “veteran campaigner for union rights and press freedom in Latin America,” will be the first woman and non-European to hold the post.
Several studies launched by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in association with the Ford Foundation, discuss the regulation of Brazilian media, reported Agência Brasil. According to UNESCO, the objective is to contribute to the debate about the role of communications in the strengthening of democracy.
Brazilian authorities have proposed a National Plan for Community Radio Concessions, with the aim of expanding community radio stations and facilitating the licensing process, according to the Communications Ministry.
A cameraman for Brazil's TV Globo, William Santos, was tackled by three police officers in the streets of São Paulo on March 11. His video tape with material for SPTV news about police corruption disappeared after the scuffle, during which his camera was confiscated.
The International Policy Center for Inclusive Growth of the United Nations Development Program and Mercado Ético released a report “Investigative Journalism: Themes for a South-South Debate,” that considers the role investigative reporting can play in developing countries.
Alexandre Rolim, journalist for the news site Parecis.net, accused Mauro Berft, mayor of Campo Novo do Parecis, in the state of Mato Grosso, of having threatened and attacked him on March 11. According to the reporter, the mayor was upset by some articles Rolim had published.
Barely a month after the launch of The Daily, the first media outlet exclusively published on the iPad tablet device, Brasil 247 will be the first such publication in Brazil, Mac World Brasil reports. The media launched earlier this week and – unlike its U.S. counterpart – it is free.
Brazil’s National Journalism Union (Fenaj) is organizing a caravan to the capital of Brasilia to garner support for a constitutional amendment that would reestablish the requirement for a journalism degree for all members of the profession.
Reporter Andrei Netto, Libya correspondent of O Estado de São Paulo newspaper, was freed by government forces Thursday after being held for eight days. He was expected to return soon to Paris, where he lives, Reuters reports.