If all journalism is in a crisis and subject to contradictions, offering services does not allow for errors because they are irreversible
Lawyer Joo Vicente Lavieri wrote to tell about the drama that he experienced for believing in information contained in the Folha Guide, “the most complete guide to So Paulo,” included in Friday’s newspaper that circulates in the So Paulo metropolitan area.
Lavieri gets around in a wheelchair. Deciding to go out to eat, he consulted the “Guide” to choose a restaurant ready to accommodate the needs of people like him, with difficulties getting around. One of the graphics used by the newspaper is the international symbol for access, which informs that an establishment is equipped with ramps, modified restrooms and other resources required by the Brazilian Association of Technical Norms.
In the “Guide,” the restaurant chosen had the symbol, but it was not prepared, as Lavieri recounted in the “adventure” that I will summarize.
“First, to put a movable ramp on the stairs at the entrance, it was necessary to move several cars to make space, causing a long wait and a big disturbance. The ramp was very steep, requiring a bit of distance to push the chair hard, which gave me the uncomfortable feeling of being on a roller coaster without a safety belt. There was another step, without a ramp, which required that waiters accustomed to carrying trays carry me. The whole restaurant stopped to watch the scene and I felt as if I were the center of the audience’s attention, without wanting to be, in a three-ring circus. There was no space to move the wheelchair between the tables, and the waiter who pushed me needed to ask other customers to squeeze against the tables to make room. My surprised wife followed behind, worried about my well-being and about the exacerbated exposure to which we were exposed. After all this, don’t even think about whether the bathroom was adapted.”
The case narrated by Lavieri is only an example and for this reason I did not identify the restaurant. The point is that both sides – Folha and the restaurant – bear responsibility in a case such as this that prompted a reader into an uncomfortable situation in public. Most of the restaurants indicated weekly by Folha say they are adapted to accommodate disabled people, which is not always true. The same goes for cinemas, theaters, concert venues and galleries.
Folha, for its part, should be rigorous at putting out service information. If all journalism is in crisis and is subject to contradictions, offering these services does not allow for errors. A wrong time at a cinema or incorrect information about a restaurant are irreversible mistakes for those who believe in the newspaper.
How the “Guide” works
The editor of Folha Guide, Lulie Macedo, explained how information is collected.
“All the checking of service information by the Folha Guide is done weekly by the staff at Datafolha. Data about hours at bars, restaurants and cafs, for instance, are furnished by the proprietors or employees. The ‘Guide’ team also is used to making periodic visits to update content and correct errors.
“We understand that good service journalism, besides standing out by its precise information, also should be attentive to exchange with users. Besides seeking rigorously to be a reliable fixture for the section, there are facts that are outside of our control – such as a restaurant that closes suddenly or untruthful information furnished while checking. This is not to say that the imponderables relieve us from responsibility. For this reason, one of the ideas being discussed is the creation of systematic visits that complement the checking by telephone.
“Readers who have a complaint about the service information published in the ‘Guide’ or some suggestion should write to guia@folha.com.br.”
Two burdens
The electoral campaign continues to be done poorly from a political as well as journalistic standpoint. The best contribution up to now was a series of interviews done on the nightly news at the Globo TV network during the week with the main candidates for president.
The wobbly performance of the candidates showed that journalists William Bonner and Ftima Bernardes were better prepared than were the aspirants for president.
Folha did badly in this coverage. The difference in treatment given to the candidates was evidence of the headlines and space devoted to the news about each interview. The newspaper began with second-rate, benevolent coverage in the So Paulo edition on Tuesday and ended with extensive and critical coverage on Friday. On Tuesday, the candidate who benefitted from the lack of vigor by the newspaper was Geraldo Alckmin of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB); on Friday, the candidate subjected to journalistic rigor was President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva.
I will reproduce the headlines from Folha and the Rio daily “O Globo” for the stories about the interviews with Alckmin and Lula to show two things: how the newspaper gave different treatment to each candidate, which resulted in a lack of balance; and how the Rio newspaper ended up being more critical than Folha in evaluating the candidates.
Tuesday: “On Globo newscast, Alckmin defends his public safety policy and promises to lower income taxes” (Folha) and “Alckmin errs in education numbers” (“O Globo”). Two observations about Folha’s headline: Alckmin did not promise to lower income taxes in the Globo TV interview, but in a different interview; and the newspaper highlighted the promise without the necessary questions.
Wednesday: “Lula tests controversial topics for Globo TV interview,” “After confusion on Globo TV interview, Alckmin ‘attaches’ education numbers” (both from Folha) and “Alckmin insists on error concerning education” (“O Globo”). At Folha, however Alckmin’s mistake became “confusion.”
Friday: “‘I fired Dirceu and Palocci,’ says Lula under pressure on Globo TV interview” and “In gaffe, president says that in this country, only salaries fall” (Folha) and “Nervous, Lula errs in interview” (“O Globo”).
The mistake, evidently, was not in Friday’s edition, which shows that Folha knows critical political journalism when it wants to. The problem was on the other days.
Most of the complaints that I receive are that the newspaper treats PSDB candidates better than those from Lula’s Workers Party (PT). Coverage of the Globo TV interviews shows those complaints to be correct.
Translation by John Wright
