quarta-feira, 28 de novembro de 2007

O que é notícia?

* Rubem Braga, sempre.

Os temas que aparecem com frequência nos meios de comunicação vão moldar as conversas e os pensamentos que circulam na sociedade, vão ditar os modismos, as piadas, as preocupações, as imaginações. E o que é mais preocupante é que esses temas (os mais recorrentes na grande mídia) são quase sempre os mesmos. E estão geralmente associados às fofocas pessoais, entretenimentos apelativos ou tragédias sociais.

Meu amigo lança fora, alegremente, o jornal que está lendo e diz:

- Chega! Houve um desastre de trem na França, um acidente de mina na Inglaterra, um surto de peste na Índia. Você acredita nisso que os jornais dizem? Será o mundo assim, uma bola confusa, onde acontecem unicamente desastres e desgraças? Não! Os jornais é que falsificam a imagem do mundo. Veja por exemplo aqui: em um subúrbio, um sapateiro matou a mulher que o traía. Eu não afirmo que isso seja mentira. Mas acontece que o jornal escolhe os fatos que noticia. O jornal quer fatos que sejam notícias, que tenham conteúdo jornalístico. Vejamos a história desse crime. "Durante os três primeiros anos o casal viveu imensamente feliz..." Você sabia disso? O jornal nunca publica uma nota assim:

"Anteontem, cerca de 21 horas, na rua Arlinda, no Méier, o sapateiro Augusto Ramos, de 28 anos, casado com a senhora Deolinda Brito Ramos de 23 anos de idade, aproveitou-se de um momento em que sua consorte erguia os braços para segurar uma lâmpada para abraça-la alegremente, dando-lhe beijos na garganta e na face, culminando com um beijo na orelha esquerda. Em vista disso, a senhora em questão, voltou-se para o seu marido, beijando-o longamente na boca e murmurando as seguintes palavras: "Meu amor", ao que ele retorquiu: "Deolinda". Na manhã seguinte, Augusto Ramos foi visto saindo de sua residência às 7,45 da manhã, isto é, dez minutos mais tarde do que o habitual, pois se demorou, a pedido de sua esposa, para consertar a gaiola de um canário-da-terra, de propriedade do casal."

A impressão que a gente tem, lendo os jornais - continuou meu amigo - é que "lar" é um local destinado principalmente à prática de "uxoricídio". E dos bares, nem se fala. Imagine isto:

"Ontem, cerca de 10 horas da noite, o indivíduo Ananias Fonseca, de 28 anos, pedreiro, residente à rua Chiquinha, sem número, no Encantado, entrou no bar "Flor Mineira", à rua Cruzeiro, 534, em companhia de seu colega Pedro Amancio de Araújo, residente no mesmo endereço. Ambos entregaram-se à fartas libações alcoólicas e já se dispunham a deixar o botequim, quando apareceu Joca de tal, de residência ignorada, antigo conhecido dos dois pedreiros, e que também estava visivelmente alcoolizado. Dirigindo-se aos dois amigos, Joca manifestou desejo de sentar-se à sua mesa, no que foi atendido. Passou então a pedir rodadas de conhaque, sendo servido pelo empregado do botequim, Joaquim Nunes. Depois de várias rodadas, Joca declarou que pagaria toda a despesa. Ananias e Pedro protestaram, alegando que eles já estavam na mesa antes. Joca, entretanto, insistiu seguindo-se uma disputa entre os três homens, que terminou com a intervenção do referido empregado, que aceitou a nota, que Joca lhe estendia. No momento em que trouxe o troco, o garçom recebeu uma boa gorjeta, pelo que ficou contentíssimo, o mesmo acontecendo aos três amigos, que se retiraram do bar alegremente, cantarolando sambas. Reina a maior paz no subúrbio do Encantado, e a noite foi bastante fresca, tendo dona Maria, sogra do comerciário Adalberto Ferreira, residente à rua Benedito, 14, senhora que sempre foi muito friorenta, chegado a puxar o cobertor, tendo depois sonhado que seu netinho lhe oferecia um pedaço de goiabada."

E meu amigo:

- Se um repórter redigir essas duas notas e levá-las a um secretário de redação será chamado de louco. Porque os jornais noticiam tudo, tudo, menos uma coisa tão banal de que ninguém se lembra: a vida...

segunda-feira, 26 de novembro de 2007

Folha: País quer quem fale bem a língua, diz FHC

* Trecho de matéria sobre o Congresso Nacional do PSDB publicada em 24 de novembro de 2007, na Folha. Assinam Silvio Navarro, Felipe Seligman e Maria Luiza Rabello.

O ex-presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso encerrou ontem o Congresso Nacional do PSDB, em Brasília, afirmando que quer "brasileiros melhor educados, e não liderados por gente que despreza a educação, a começar pela própria."

O ex-presidente cometeu um erro de português. Especialistas consideram que, de acordo com a norma culta da língua, o correto seria ter dito "brasileiros mais bem educados".

Em suas mais duras críticas desde que começou o evento tucano, FHC não mencionou diretamente o presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva e nem o PT, mas sua fala foi entendida pelos presentes como uma alusão ao presidente petista.

Em um esforço para tentar separar as denúncias do valerioduto tucano do escândalo do mensalão, o PSDB, no último dia do congresso, deixou para FHC desferir a artilharia pesada contra o governo e o PT, a quem o ex-presidente se refere como "elitezinha que se abotoou ao poder".

O tucano citou Lula logo na primeira frase do discurso, mas, no decorrer da fala, passou a ocultar o nome do presidente Lula. Permeou o discurso com frases para rebater as críticas do PT que o partido e seus membros são elitistas.

"Nosso partido tem gente acadêmica, não temos vergonha disso. Tem gente que sabe falar mais de uma língua, e também sabemos muito bem falar a nossa língua. Muitos brasileiros ainda não puderam saber falar bem a nossa língua e muito menos as outras", afirmou FHC para os militantes.

Link

quarta-feira, 7 de novembro de 2007

Juliette Binoche na Playboy francesa

* A Playboy francesa de novembro não traz uma coelhinha qualquer na capa. A atriz Julliete Binoche, 43, é o destaque. Ela posou para a fotógrafa Marianne Rosenstiehl.







Aspas: Imprensa exclui os excluídos, diz Kotscho

"Muito dos meus colegas jornalistas deixam de ir onde o povo está. Fazem as coisas por telefone ou e-mail. O que predomina na imprensa brasileira hoje é o noticiário oficial, de poder e de celebridades. Isso exclui os excluídos. A gente muitas vezes fica falando dos patrões da grande mídia, mas a mudança de postura depende dos profissionais. O Zuenir já deu vários exemplos disso. O repórter tem que ir para a rua."

Ricardo Kotscho, jornalista e escritor no Fórum das Letras de Ouro Preto, em 2 de novembro de 2007

segunda-feira, 5 de novembro de 2007

NYT: The Very Expensive Reality of Chasing Reality TV

* Você gastaria US$ 8 mil para tentar participar de um reality show? O americano Tom Sullivan gastou e garante que fez um bom investimento. Assim como ele, centenas de outras pessoas em todo o mundo abrem mão de tempo e dinheiro para aparecer na tevê. A repórter Abby Ellin contou a história de algumas delas na edição do New York Times de 4 de novembro de 2007.

TO say Tom Sullivan likes “Survivor” would be a gross understatement. Mr. Sullivan, a radio and television host in Atlanta, auditioned five times for this reality show, which has a $1 million prize. He spent hours shooting, editing and mailing videotapes of himself to producers and casting agents, and has traveled to four cities to compete for the honor of not being voted off the island.

His quest has not just cost him time — it has also cost him money, to the tune of $8,000 over the past five years. And he has never made it onto the show. But Mr. Sullivan, 38, says his efforts have been worth every penny.

“I learned how to deal with producers and I had some great experiences,” he said.

Mr. Sullivan is one of many people who have dropped big money auditioning for reality television shows and contests. The reasons for doing so vary: Some people mainly want to be on television, but for others it is part of a very specific plan to enhance their careers. To them, the money they spend is not so different from, say, investing in a business degree or hiring a career coach.

“You can sit here and be as talented as you want, but unless you get out there and show people, you’re not going to get anywhere,” said Sergio Alain Barrios, 41, a New York-based fashion designer who has auditioned twice for “Project Runway.” On the show, which appears on the Bravo cable channel, 15 contestants receive assignments each week as they compete for a $100,000 prize to start a clothing line, along with other prizes; the show’s new season starts on Nov. 14.

Mr. Barrios’s endeavor cost both time and money — $2,500 in 2004, and about $5,000 in 2005. Aspiring contestants are required to bring in three samples of their work; Mr. Barrios designed 15 pieces and whittled down the selection to 3.

His first try was unsuccessful, but “rather than be disappointed it motivated me to say, ‘I’ll show you,’” said Mr. Barrios, who works occasionally as a stylist and production assistant for Oscar de la Renta fashion shows. He said he did get a word of encouragement from Tim Gunn, one of the show’s on-the-air mentors.

Mr. Barrios devoted all of 2005 to aiming for the show. That meant logging 1,560 (unpaid) hours honing his craft. In addition to buying the materials and paying other expenses, he acquired a large printer ($700, as well as $140 for cartridges and $100 for paper) to better show off his drawings before the judges.

The night before the second audition, he and his boyfriend rented a room in the same hotel where the event was taking place (at $400 for the night), just to ensure that he would be fresh and ready the next morning. They also had a party for friends ($200 for food and liquor) who showed up to offer encouragement.

The next day, he was pumped up and ready to go. But he was not chosen as a contestant.

“I started crying when it was over; I was so glad it was done,” he said. “It takes so much out of you.”

Susan Murray, associate professor in the department of media, culture and communications at New York University and co-editor of “Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture,” said she understood why people would spend large sums to audition for a reality program.

Reality TV offers the promise of something extraordinary, and, she said, “that promise is so alluring.”

“I would imagine people are willing to invest to get closer to it,” she said.

And when it pays off, it pays off big. When Harold Dieterle, now 30, auditioned for “Top Chef” in 2005, he was the sous chef at a downtown Manhattan restaurant. For him, the $2,300 investment (mostly for three professional-quality knives and new kitchen clogs) paid off in spades: he won.

“Winning kind of put my name on a national scale,” he said. It also helped him open his own Manhattan restaurant, Perilla, this year. “People believed in me.”

That is what Caroline von Lintel, 46, an interior designer in Carefree, Ariz., hopes will come out of the $12,000 she spent preparing last month for Architectural Digest’s Open Auditions in Manhattan, where professional and nonprofessional aspiring designers and architects competed to win a photo spread in the magazine. There are no cash prizes, but semifinalists will appear on the Web site, where the public can vote for their favorite work, said Paige Rense, editor in chief of Architectural Digest. More than 400 people signed up for the event in New York, coming from as far away as Australia, Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The next audition is Jan. 29 in Miami, followed by contests in Houston and Los Angeles.

“As a designer, it’s like a dream come true if I end up being a candidate,” said Ms. von Lintel, whose expenses included airfare, food, lodging for three nights and six photographs of interiors she had designed ($1,500 a photo). “If you never work again, you can say, ‘Wow, I went to the top.’ If you win, the magazine is in effect endorsing you.”

And, she said, “the networking that can happen standing on line is invaluable.”

DIANA OBANDO-PRESTOL, a 26-year-old architect, flew in from the Dominican Republic, where she lives, for the contest. She estimates that the trip and preparations cost a total of almost $5,500, including six nights in New York and the cost of head shots of herself for publicity.

“Even if I am not selected, it’s a win-win situation,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to grow as a designer.”

Ms. Obando-Prestol photographed a client’s three-bedroom home for the contest. Mr. Barrios, the fashion designer, says that he plans to audition again for “Project Runway” and that he is not put off by the time and money he has invested. As far as he is concerned, it is all part of his dream to design women’s clothes.

“Nothing is overnight in this world, and I will audition for ‘Project Runway’ again and again,” Mr. Barrios said. “Like Nike says — ‘Just do it!’ It sounds corny, but that has become a sort of mantra for me through this whole audition process.”

Link

quinta-feira, 1 de novembro de 2007

Herald Tribune: Citizens of nowhere

* Os cidadãos de lugar nenhum: reportagem de Seth Mydans sobre o não-reconhecimento da cidadania de tailandeses. Publicado em 1º de abril, no International Herald Tribune. As fotos que ilustram a matéria, de Greg Constantine (exemplo abaixo), estão neste slide show.

MAE AI, Thailand: Hidden in the back corners of the world is a scattered population of millions of nobodies, citizens of nowhere, forgotten or neglected by governments, ignored by census takers.

Many of these stateless people are among the world's poorest; all are the most disenfranchised. Without citizenship, they often have no right to schooling, health care or property ownership. Nor may they vote, or travel outside their countries - even, in some cases, the towns - where they live.

They are stateless for many reasons - migration, refugee flight, racial or ethnic exclusion, the quirks of history - but taken together, these noncitizens, according to one report, "are among the most vulnerable segments of humanity."

Without the rights conferred by citizenship, they have few avenues for redressing abuses, and little access to resources that could help them build better lives. They have few advocates, because human rights groups tend to focus on the types of abuses they suffer - trafficking, exploitation, discrimination - rather than the root of their problems, their statelessness.

In their variety, they share the lack of a basic human need: a place to call home.

About two million of them are in Thailand, mostly members of ethnic minority groups and hill tribes, perhaps the largest stateless population in the world.

Many were born in remote areas along the border with Myanmar, out of touch with the government, and lack documents that could prove that they, or one of their parents, were born in Thailand.

"Everything is affected, all my rights," said Saidaeng Kaewtham, 38, who works as a gardener. "I can't travel, go to the hospital, do business or get an education. You can't choose your job, only labor."

"Why can others do these basic things and I can't?" he asked. "If I had been a citizen I might have finished my education. I might have earned a master's degree already. Some of my friends have master's degrees."

The number of people like Saidaeng is rising today with the shifting populations of a globalized world, experts say. The emergence of new democracies is also a factor, particularly in Africa, where the granting or removal of citizenship is used as a political weapon.

"The very fact that democracy makes people count makes citizenship a more important social and political fact, and that has given an incentive to some political leaders to use citizenship as a tool to disenfranchise opponents," said James Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative.

By the most common count, there are 15 million stateless people in the world, but by its nature, this is a number nobody can know for certain.

"Statelessness is a global phenomenon, but each of the stories is different," said Philippe LeClerc, an expert on the issue with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva.

The stateless include some 200,000 Urdu-speaking Bihari in scores of refugee settlements in Bangladesh, where they are barred from many government services and subject to harassment and discrimination.

Formerly a prosperous, land-owning community, they were stranded in Bangladesh when it separated from Urdu-speaking Pakistan in 1971. Although Pakistan at first offered refuge to fleeing Bihari, neither nation offers citizenship today to those who stayed behind.

The stateless also include members of the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority from western Myanmar, where they have been stripped of citizenship and denied civil rights and face exploitation, forced labor and religious persecution. More than 100,000 Rohingya have fled in recent decades to Bangladesh, where they live in camps or on the streets.

They also include tens of thousands of Filipino and Indonesian children in the Malaysian state of Sabah, victims of discriminatory laws that, in effect, deny them birth certificates and often separate them from their families.

Repression at home and the demand for cheap labor drew hundreds of thousands of Filipinos and Indonesians to Sabah over the past three decades. There are now 750,000 of them, nearly one-third of the local population, and the authorities are forcing many to leave.

Because their children often lack documentation, an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 have been left behind to fend for themselves.

In Thailand, the government has embarked on an unusual and ambitious program to determine its stateless people's rights to citizenship, checking documents and interviewing witnesses and local elders.

"You have hundreds of nationality decisions taking place every month in these provinces," said LeClerc. "It's going in slow motion, but it demonstrates a consciousness on the part of Thailand that they have to address the issue."

The only documentation Boon Phonma, 43, could offer was a birth date scribbled on a palm leaf by her mother. She said she was turned away by officials who said, "No, you're not Thai."

Like some others without papers, she then presented officials with the results of a DNA test that she said was accepted as proof of her right to Thai citizenship.

"I found out I have a whole big family here, 335 people," said Boon, who now works to help other stateless people. "I am a Thai confirmed, a Thai since birth."

Link