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Summary: The survey Infância na Mídia
(Childhood in the Press) is a non-
profitable service to all sectors of the
Brazilian society involved in the
promotion and defense of children
and adolescents rights...The survey Infância na Mídia (Childhood in the Press) is a non-
profitable service to all sectors of the Brazilian society involved in
the promotion and defense of children and adolescents rights,
with the intention to cooperate so that means of communication
can check out their patterns, and that social actors can have a
more detailed view of how the media works on the themes.
For a qualitative analysis of news published in 48 national
newspapers and 8 national magazines, correction is applied
whenever clippings present flaws. News are divided in themes,
which will have sub-rankings to allow a deeper evaluation of
news priorities regarding children and adolescents.
The number of stories on children and adolescents has grown
about 500% in the Brazilian press since 1996, when the first
edition of the research Childhood in the Press was published. The
results shown by the research reflect the country's social
mobilization around childhood and adolescence. In the year 2000,
50 newspapers and 8 magazines were analyzed daily. 64,396
stories, articles, editorials and others related to Brazilians that
haven't completed 18 years of age were clipped and classified. In
1996, only 10,700 news pieces were found.
The data collected through the years show that the number of
stories has been growing steadily, indicating that children and
adolescents (and their rights) are consolidating their presence in
the national agenda. But this growth alone doesn't mean that
there are no problems with the press coverage in Brazil. So, the
research develops a qualitative analysis, using specific criteria.
The material selected by the clipping sector of ANDI was divided
into fifteen categories. Each one is divided into subparts (read
more about our Methodology).
The investigation is analyzed from two different viewpoints: if it
points out a solution ("Search for Solutions") or if it is simply
pointing out some kind of wrongdoing ("Denunciation"). In the
year 2000, there was almost no change in the general
index "Search for Solutions". The growth observed in the number
of stories on violence (more than 121% if compared with the
number of 1999) and the lack of context (85.43% of the stories
are hard news) has contributed to the stagnation of the index
that, without those stories on violence, would have reached
37.34%.
There was a negative variation of 6.96% in the number of
denunciations in 2000 if compared with 1999.
The diversity of sources of information is also one of the aspects
that can help measure the quality of the press coverage. Five
types of primary sources are identified: the Executive, Legislative
and Judiciary officials, University and Non-Governmental
Organizations experts. In the news pieces in which it was
possible to identify the source that motivated the story, Executive
officials have predominated.
The research has analyzed how the press covered the 10th
anniversary of the federal law that assures children's rights in the
country, named The Child and Adolescent Statute (Estatuto da
Criança e do Adolescente - ECA). With the help of specialists,
ANDI's team qualified and compared the coverage of 58 print
news media to gather data about how the press understands
this relatively recent law.
In 2000, for the first time after nine editions of the research, a
radical change in the ranking of the news media (regarding the
number of news pieces related to children and adolescents) was
observed. The biggest Brazilian newspapers - that were
traditionally placed at the top of the ranking of number of
published stories - lost their positions. This year, newspapers
aimed at regional markets developed a broader editorial
coverage of childhood and adolescence.
The priority given to Education in Brazil in the last years leads this
subject to the top of the ranking of categories. Since the first
semester of 1998, it has occupied the first position in the ranking
of themes analysed by the research Childhood in the Press.
In the first years of the research Childhood in the Press, ANDI
and the Ayrton Senna Institute (IAS) aimed at improving the
professional dialog among journalists, media and sources of
information, i. e. social actors devoted to the promotion and
defense of children and adolescents' rights. ANDI and IAS have
been supported by Unicef, Fundescola, Revista Educação
(Education Magazine) and Revista Imprensa (Press Magazine).
Subjects
In the year 2000, the number of news pieces on Education grew
116,33% if compared to 1999. The number of stories classified
under "Search for Solutions" grew more than 5%. But the number
of denunciations decreased from 9,09% in 1999 to 7,54% in
2000. The total number of news pieces under this category
represent almost 30% of all the material analyzed.
Meanwhile, the number of news pieces on Violence has soared.
There were 8,102 (or 121,65% ) more news pieces than in 1999,
the biggest growth in the research.
Health has lost one position in the ranking and hasn't
experienced much change in the number of stories. The stories
under this category had multiple angles, from the treatment of
different diseases to the care with food consumed at schools and
the psychological care of children.
Rights and Justice are still in the fourth position, but the number
of insertions has increased 18% - as a result of the celebration of
the 10th anniversary of The Child and Adolescent Statute.
The media also demonstrated interest on the actions of the so-
called Third Sector. It has increased, indicating a new trend in
progress in the country.
In 2000, the larger number of news pieces on Sexual Exploitation
and Abuse shows that the Press may break the silence about
one of the most serious problems that affect children and
teenagers from North to South.
On Behavior, category in which the number of news pieces had a
negative variation, a balance between the stories on Attitudes
(involving friends, idioms and consumers) and Family
(relationships at home), meanwhile the number of stories on
children's and teenagers' actions has increased.
The subject Drugs increased its number of news pieces, and the
topics on Dependence-Treatment-Actions-and-Campaigns
responded to 84% off the total.
On the Exploitation of Work, the item Children Living in the
Rubbish responded to 16.44% of the total number of stories
under the category. This item was created to measure how the
Press reacted to the campaign No More Children Living in the
Rubbish (promoted by Unicef and city-halls). 37,32% of the
stories on sanitary "landing" and how children and their families
make a living out of them are reflexive or point solutions,
meanwhile 22.10% of them just denounce the situation.
However, this subject is the one that brings together more
frequently Denunciations and
Search for Solutions in the same articles. In the other ones, the
press detects other kinds of urban and rural exploration. It is
important to emphasize the implementation of programs against
early labour, like the "Bolsa-Escola" (sponsored by the Federal
Government), in which governmental institutes can take part.
Culture and Sports are still the subjects with the largest number
of news pieces classified in the item Search for Solutions
(70,49%). However, since the number of insertions has
dicreased, that could lead to the conclusion that the problem has
been minimized, since social projects using arts or sports to
rescue children and teenagers' citizenship have developed
throughout the country. It means that journalists should have
more imagination to address this subject, stimulating social
mobilization.
In spite of the importance of arts and culture projects, the press
has given little importance, for instance, to the debate about the
quality of "artistic education" in school.
Statistics show that 10% of the world population have some kind
of disability and that 80% of those live in underdeveloped
countries. But the number of news pieces under this category has
shown a small increase. The press may contribute to end the
stereotypes as it addresses topics like Social Inclusion or The
Inclusion in the Regular School System (that involves the concept
of "Participation without Restriction"). The problem, however, is
that journalists usually continue to view disabilities as some kind
of "regrettable failure of nature", which perpetuates prejudices
and does not contribute to the transformation of society.
The subject Environment has increased four positions, with about
70% more insertions, but this number is still small if compared
with the universal attention given to it.
The subject Homeless Boys and Girls has lost importance in the
Press, but this does not mean that the situation has changed
completely, as there are still problems. On the other hand, the
subject has been treated from the viewpoint of rights, which
means that the subject has been treated in editorials with a
different perspective, like the access to education and health, for
example.
While social actions grow toward the "early child development", it
is strange to verify that the press lost interest on Child Mortality,
except when this subject is addressed by think tanks such as
Unicef, the Ministry of Health or "Pastoral da Criança" (a non-
governmental organization maintained by the Catholic Church).
Some journalists argue that they would need statistics to
address the matter. On the other hand, "We don't have to view
only numbers, but also local solutions that the civil society and
the government have found in several parts of Brazil ", says
Elson Faxina, journalist and press attaché for the "Pastoral da
Criança".
On the subject Missing People, the number of insertions had the
largest negative variation (53,45%) of the research.