Rio Gringa

How to Go Viral in Brazil: Go Negative

Brazilians are voracious consumers of online content and power users of social media, so when an article or video really takes off in Brazil, it can become a cultural phenomenon or a national conversation. That happened last week when an American self-help writer penned a bilingual open letter to Brazil, a hotly controversial mike drop of sorts as he returns home after four years in Rio.

"Why is Brazil so screwed up?" he writes. "You are the problem. Yes, you reading this, you are the problem. I’m sure you don’t mean to be, but you are actively participating in the problem and perpetuating it. Every day." And then he proceeds to explain this theory about why all Brazilians are to blame for their problems in brutally honest (if not particularly well written) detail. "You are fucked," he writes.

Brazilians, needless to say, went bananas.

A well-known entrepreneur responded in a 16-minute video which also went viral. Others were inspired to pen their own open letters to Manson, like a tech writer who wrote: "Your letter says more about you and your beliefs than it does about our country." A friend of mine joked he was going to write an open letter to the United States; another wrote a political analysis about the reaction to the letter.

Manson already had a large following, which helped boost the article's circulation to tends of thousands of shares. He also published the letter at a particularly rough time for Brazil, under international scrutiny for the Zika outbreak, a suffering economy, and a big corruption scandal ahead of the Olympics.

But he's not the first and he won't be the last gringo to go viral by hating on Brazil. Having written my fair share of critical pieces on Brazil, particularly while I was living there, I've also found this to be true.

When a foreigner writes an excoriating critique of Brazil - or even just a negative view - there's a good chance of the piece taking off.

The Danish journalist in question. This is a whole other story for another time.

Let's look at a few actual headlines from the past few years. All but the first are from major news outlets.

"American creates list of reasons why he hated living in Brazil"

"Gringos create list of 66 reasons why to hate Brazil"

"British blogger says Brazilians go overboard in rejecting Brazil"

"Danish journalist gives up covering the World Cup and explains his disappointment online"

"A French guy's impressions of Belo Horizonte make waves online"

And so on. In a similar vein, Brazil's largest media outlets often report when an important foreign publication (The New York Times, Financial Times, The Economist) writes a big story about Brazil.

This hypersensitivity to criticism by foreigners is part of what's called the complexo de vira-latas, or mutt complex. Conceived by Nelson Rodrigues, the country's most famous playwright and a keen observer of Brazilian culture, the idea originated after the country's humiliating 1950 World Cup loss. Rodrigues defined the mutt complex as "the inferiority in which Brazilians voluntarily place themselves in front of the rest of the world...The problem is faith in oneself." This was true of soccer, but also of a much larger spectrum, from an economy going through boom and busts, hyperinflation, poverty, and yet another excruciating World Cup defeat on home turf in 2014. This might seem strange for a country as big and powerful as Brazil, but this phenomenon has proved the test of time.

Another piece of the mutt complex is endless self-criticism. It comes up in everyday conversations in a serious manner, but it's also addressed through dark humor as something of a coping mechanism. Particularly on social media, this means a lot of jokes about the country's problems. "Brazil's internet culture is very, maybe particularly, fond of turning national trauma into a source of endless humor and ironic celebration," writes LA Times correspondent Vincent Bevins.

In other words, some Brazilians talk and joke endlessly about the country's problems, but aren't so thrilled when foreigners take the same critical eye they do.

So if you're a foreign writer looking to get your name out in Brazil, the quickest way is to go negative. Just don't expect to make many friends.

Reporting on Rio Realities: Rising Community Journalists

Some of Rio's best and brightest are getting the chance to expand their horizons, thanks in part to opportunities arising after pacification and new projects to benefit low-income communities. One example of this is a fantastic exchange young journalist exchange program, now in its second year, which has benefitted some of the city's most promising young community reporters. It's thanks to these journalists that people in Rio and all over the world are getting a more accurate, clearer picture of what's happening in the city's favelas.

Last year, the U.S. Consulate in Rio started a new program that sends two Carioca community journalists to New York, and two New Yorker community journalists to Rio. This year, the Rio participants were Michel Silva, age 20, and Daiene Beatriz, age 22. They traveled to New York in August, after hosting their counterparts in Rio in April. I interviewed them on their last night in New York in Union Square.

Michel Silva: An Entrepreneurial Journalist

Michel and his sister started Viva Rocinha, a community news site, after the military occupation of Rocinha in 2011. They wanted to share the reality of Latin America's largest favela, and to identify problems in the community like sewage, water, and electricity. The site also aims to focus on the positive by telling stories about residents and social projects. It's also one of few, if any, community news sites in Brazil that has its own mobile app. They also have an active following on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. Smartphones are becoming increasingly important, Michel says; any favela resident can capture what's happening.

In 2012, he and some friends created Fala Roça, a print paper about Rocinha that comes out every two months. He's the coordinator of and contributor to the newspaper, which is also available via PDF. The most recent issue had a cover story on the rising cost of living in Rocinha, which was then reprinted in the Brasil 247 news site. This is common, said Michel. These two community news outlets serve as a connection between the community and mainstream media. It's not just a matter of providing stories; if the media reports something wrong, he sets them straight. And it's not just the local media that seeks him out as a source; it's the international media, from The New York Times to El País. Plus, by identifying problems in the community and bringing attention to them, it's a way to solve problems, with things as simple as a pothole.

Michel is a also social communications student at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, one of the city's best private universities. And if he wasn't already busy enough, he's also a participant at the Agência de Redes para Juventude, an organization that provides training and stipends to youth in pacified favelas. It was the Agência that helped him get Fala Roça off the ground.

This video was made by Frank Lopez, one of the American program participants
who traveled to Rio and also accompanied Michel and Daiene in New York.

Michel is shy and sweet, but sharp as a tack. During his stay in New York, he posted frequently on social media, pointing out detailed observations about everything he came across. It was his first time abroad.

When I asked him what he enjoyed most about the trip, he had trouble identifying just one thing. He pointed out Amsterdam News in Harlem as a highlight, since a newspaper devoted to the African-American community, which was something he hadn't seen before. Plus, he liked visiting CNN, since he was able to experience a big network.

Daiene Beatriz: Reporting on Favela Realities

Daiene is poised and well-spoken, and has a deep grasp on a large host of issues affecting her city. She's a journalism student, and works for Parceiros do RJ at Rede Globo, a program that employs journalists from favelas to report on their communities. She covers Complexo do Alemão, where she's from.

Daiene wrote on her blog that the trip was a dream come true, and it was her first time on a plane, and her first time abroad. She got to know a totally different culture that opened her mind, and it gave her new ideas to bring home. "I can't even describe it," she said. It gave her a chance to see a different country and think about how things could change in both places.

Like Michel, she had trouble singling out her favorite experience, but also pointed to Amsterdam News, because it's something that doesn't exist in Brazil; she was impressed by this pride in African heritage. She also liked CNN and The New York Times. And also like her counterpart, she was keen to observe her new surroundings and compare them to her hometown.

This video was made by Frank Lopez, one of the American program participants
who traveled to Rio and also accompanied Michel and Daiene in New York.

She was impressed that street vendors are legal in New York, whereas in Rio it's less common. Why can't Rio legalize street vendors? she wondered. Now, they run from police. She was also interested in subsidized housing. In Rio, the Minha Casa Minha Vida program often puts people far from the city, whereas New York subsidizing housing can be found in the middle of the city. She compared New York's subway system to Rio's BRT, which she says will ultimately benefit tourists more than residents. When it comes to infrastructure in Rio, "the investments aren't thinking of the population; it's to show a good image to foreigners," she said.

Both Michel and Daiene are wary about pacification. "The war continues," Michel said. "Pacification is make-up," added Daiene. It's not just a matter of policing, but it's taking numerous actions to effect change, she explained. The realities are the same, but certain things are just hidden now, including drug trafficking. While it's a good idea, it's been lacking in execution, she said. On the positive side, people tend to respect communities more and there are more opportunities for favela residents. She noted that before, people tended to associate the word favela with negative aspects, like drugs and poverty, and now people are increasingly using the word "community" instead. This, she says, is the major media's doing.

Michel and Daiene have shared their experiences of the exchange online. You can read about Daiene's experiences on her blog, and stay tuned for a forthcoming piece by Michel.

Images: RioGringa.com; Daiene Beatriz's blog.

The Great Irony of Brazil's World Cup

As the World Cup draws closer, Brazil is once again in the international spotlight. There's some debate about whether the media is being too hard on the country with overly negative coverage, and if foreigners are going overboard with scrutiny. But the country's biggest critics are its own residents, with many critical of the games and a small, vocal minority aiming to protest the event.

When Brazil was chosen to host the games back in 2007, it was a different time. The country was starting a new rise on the world stage, Lula was president, huge oil stores had recently been discovered, and the economy was taking off. There was a heady feeling that Brazil was coming into its own, and the World Cup was a coming-out party, a chance to show off the country's status. Now, a Forbes columnist wrote yesterday that the mega-event has become "the worst publicity stunt in history."

But maybe in this sense, Brazil has become a victim of its own success.

With more people joining the middle class and improving their standard of living, more people are demanding a better quality of life. Democracy is alive and well as people aren't afraid to criticize the government or to speak out against perceived injustices. Digital inclusion has meant a steadily rising number of Brazilians online, making ideas and protest plans and complaints flow faster.

This doesn't mean that all Brazilians oppose the World Cup outright. A new Ipsos poll found that around one-third of Brazilians simply don't care about the games at all. There's a sense of less excitement than during past World Cups, despite being the hosts.

One thing Brazilians often care about, though, is outsiders' criticisms. Being in the spotlight and coming under international scrutiny has dredged up sentiments of self-doubt and in some cases, of an inferiority complex. One recent Datafolha survey showed that three-quarters of paulistanos, residents of the country's largest city, don't think Brazil is prepared to host the games, and 43 percent oppose the World Cup being held in their country. 

A Tumblr was created last week called "Only in Brazil," featuring laments by Brazilians that certain bad things only happen in Brazil. Each complaint is compared to a real-life example of the same thing happening in another country. "Imagine what they'll say about us abroad during the Cup," the blog's subtitle reads. Journalist Priscila Silva took to Medium this week to point out this same issue, arguing that Brazil's problems aren't necessarily unique and that this kind of mentality is defeatist. The headline reads: "The problem isn't Brazil. It's you."

Now that there's less excitement about Brazil's economy and its role abroad, maybe the country won't make the splash leaders were hoping for. But perhaps Brazilians' discontent and even disinterest proves just how far the country has actually come--that a soccer-crazed nation wouldn't be utterly spellbound by bread and circuses. With only two weeks left before the games kick off, time will tell.

Image: Gustavo Gomes/Flickr.

The Ten Commandments of Foreign Correspondents in Brazil

It started with Brazil's economic "boom" and has ballooned as the World Cup draws closer: the number of foreign correspondents, sports journalists, and other gringo journalists in Brazil has grown substantially. And with the upcoming mega-events, there increasingly seem to be more "parachuters," people coming in with lots of enthusiasm but not a lot of knowledge about the country. Given the large amount of Brazil news I consume on a daily basis, I thought it might be helpful to share some tips about how to produce stories that will satisfy a foreign audience without making some common mistakes. Brazil, after all, isn't for beginners.

10. Be careful with popular topics. These topics have been covered by the English-language press ad nauseum: domestic workers advancing to more skilled jobs; maid shortages as a result; "will Brazil be ready for the World Cup"; Eike Batista; favela violence. The usual herd journalism stuff. That doesn't mean these topics aren't worth covering, it just means they require a lot more work. What are you actually contributing to the discussion? Or are you just rehashing somebody else's coverage?

9. Find a local expert. This is more than a fixer, and doesn't necessarily have to be a source. But it should be someone with strong knowledge of the city or topic who can offer a useful perspective. It should be someone who can tell you if a story is worth pursuing, and who may be able to give you tips. This may be challenging if you don't speak Portuguese, but a local expert may be a foreigner who's lived there for a long time.

8. Follow Brazilian journalists and media on Twitter. It's one of the best way to get tips and identify trends, as well as getting breaking news. I keep Twitter lists of useful news sources and journalists that can be a good starting point.

7. Learn from other foreign correspondents. Just because other outlets are doing sensationalistic stories or endlessly rehashing old news doesn't mean you have to. Similarly, you can do creative, unique, high-quality work, too. Keep an eye on what other foreign outlets are covering, and what they did well and what they didn't.

6. Eavesdrop. This requires understanding Portuguese, but it's a way to keep your ear to the street and to find out what Brazilians are talking about. This can also mean listening carefully to what your Brazilian friends are talking about, either among one another or on social media. (That's how I discovered this story before any foreign outlet.) The best story ideas come from hearing what is actually happening on the ground and not just what the big outlets are covering.

5. Find creative ways to cover clichéd topics. Sometimes you might be told to write a story about why Brazil isn't ready for the World Cup, or some other played out story that you're expected to cover. Even if you have to cover these types of topics, it doesn't mean you can get creative and find a different angle. That's where your local expert can come in handy.

4. Befriend Brazilians. This may seem obvious, but sometimes people don't make much effort to do this. If you stay in a little expat bubble, you're not going to get nearly the same perspective as if you actually immerse yourself and interact with Brazilians beyond reporting.

3. Resist stereotypes. You may not be able to write headlines, but you can avoid using samba, soccer, and Carnival metaphors in your writing or in your reports, unless you are specifically covering those topics.

2. Get your hands dirty and venture beyond your comfort zone. In Rio, for example, always reporting in Zona Sul is not acceptable; you've got to get out to the other parts of the city, even if some are gritty or less safe. That doesn't just mean favelas, but also some of the working-class neighborhoods. If you're staying for longer and have the budget, this also means you should get out of the city you're based in: venture to the Northeast, to Minas, or to Mato Grosso; try to escape the Rio-São Paulo bubble.

1. Learn Portuguese. This should always be the number one rule for reporting from any foreign country, and it's especially true in Brazil, where English is less commonly spoken and where Portuguese is rich with expressions.You will understand so much more by using the language rather than having everything in translation. And if you're only going for a short period of time, try to find a translator who can do more than the minimum.

 

Why Was An Estadão Reporter Arrested at Yale?

On September 28, Estado de São Paulo's Washington correspondent Cláudia Trevisan was arrested at Yale University's law school for criminal trespassing and spent several hours incommunicado in a New Haven jail. She was trying to interview Brazilian Supreme Court Chief Justice Joaquim Barbosa, who was attending a private event at the university. At a time when U.S.-Brazil relations are at a low--following the NSA spying revelations, Dilma's subsequent postponement of her U.S. state visit, and the Brazilian president's stern words for Obama at the UN this week--the incident comes at a particularly sensitive time.

Here are excerpts from Trevisan's account, which you can read in Portuguese or in slightly messy English. I have edited the English excerpts below so that they're grammatically correct.

I called the Communications Director of YLS, Janet Conroy, and asked if I could attend the seminar. She said no. She also said it would take place in a private building. I told her I had to go anyway and would wait for [Barbosa] on the sidewalk.

I arrived in New Haven around 3:30pm and went to Yale Law School. When I entered the building, I asked the security lady if she knew where the seminar was being held. She said there was no information about it in the system and told me I could look in the rooms to see if I could find it. She did not ask for identification.

I walked through the Law School corridors, went to the cafeteria, sat in the courtyard and realized the seminar was not in that building. I left and went to Wooley Hall..about two blocks away. Its doors were wide open...Nobody to ask for information. No security. I went to the upper floor and saw a policeman. I went straight to him and asked if the seminar was being held there. My intention was to make sure and wait for the minister outside. I did not attempt to enter the room where the event was happening.

The policeman did not answer my question and asked me to follow him, which I did. Back on the ground floor he began to interrogate me. What is your address, phone number, date of birth. I gave him my passport. I did not identify myself as a journalist, but said I was looking for Minister Barbosa and intended to wait for him outside the building. We walked to one of the doors and when we were walked out I asked for my passport back. He refused to give it to me.

That was the only moment when I lost my temper. "You cannot do that," I said. And he replied: "Yes, I can. We know who you are, you are a reporter, we have your picture and you were told several times that you could not be here."

I said that I had only spoken once with somebody from Yale, that morning. In reply, he informed me I was going to be arrested under the charge of criminal trespassing. Two policewomen arrived and stayed by my side, while the guy, named DeJesus, disappeared for a while. He came back about 20 minutes later, told me to stand with my back to him and put my hands behind my back. I was handcuffed while he screamed: "You know why you are being arrested, no?" and I replied: "No, I don’t know." He said: "You were told several times not to be here." Me: “No, I was not." He said: “That is what happens when there are high-profile people involved."

The full Estadão article also notes that Trevisan was in touch with Barbosa himself ahead of the event, and Barbosa told her he didn't want to talk to press. She told him she'd come anyway and wait outside the event. After her arrest, Trevisan said: "I spent five years in China, I've traveled to North Korea and Myanmar, and nothing remotely like this happened to me."

While the arrest has caused outrage in Brazil, it hasn't so much as caused a blip here in the United States, as of Saturday afternoon. Were it the other way around, with an American reporter arrested at a Brazilian university, that wouldn't be the case.

There's also a second complication. Though Trevisan was arrested for trespassing, a colleague from Folha de São Paulo, who also wanted to interview Barbosa, was also at Yale. According to Folha, the journalist identified him or herself, was told he or she couldn't come in the building, and was escorted by a police officer to the street. The journalist was also told he or she risked arrest if he or she tried to reenter the building. So the reporter waited outside.

Why is it that one reporter was arrested, and the other was simply escorted out of the building?

The problem is that with no U.S. coverage and most of the Brazilian coverage simply rehashing Estadão's version of the story, there's been no second or third source, no interviews with witnesses or bystanders, or anything of the sort--essentially no independent reporting. Estadão has a list of questions it wants answered by the university, but they have yet to be answered.

I asked for a statement from the university today, and received the same one that Trevisan also posted on her blog. Here's their statement:

Before she came to the Yale Campus on September 26 to attempt to interview Justice Barbosa, Ms. Trevisan was told that the Global Constitutionalism Seminar attended by Justice Barbosa was a private event closed to the public and the media, and that she was not permitted on Yale property. She came onto Yale property, entered the Law School without permission, and proceeded to enter another building where the attendees of the Seminar were meeting. When asked why she was in the building, she stated that she was looking for a friend she was supposed to meet. She was arrested for trespassing. The police followed normal procedures and Ms. Trevisan was not mistreated in any way. Although the arrest for trespass was justified, the university does not plan to pursue the charge with the local prosecutor. The Law School and Yale University accommodate hundreds of journalists in the course of a year at public campus events and for interviews with members of the Yale community and visitors. As with all journalists, Ms. Trevisan is welcome to attend any public event at Yale and speak with anyone who wishes to grant her an interview.

When I asked a Yale press officer about the Folha reporter, this was his response:

There was a reporter who came to the law school, identified himself and was told that he could not enter for the seminar. He said he would wait outside on the street. He did not enter any building without permission. I do not know if that is the reporter you are asking about.

Fundamentally, the question remains: was it necessary or even legal to arrest Trevisan? Couldn't she have just been escorted off campus with a warning not to come back? Was there a different security arrangement for this particular event that warranted stricter rules? Are there missing details to this story that can be filled in by witnesses or the arresting officer? I'm hoping some intrepid reporters, either Brazilian or American, find the answers. Because a journalist was involved, it's even more reason for good journalism to be done.

UPDATE 1: The Guardian has an article out, but it doesn't add any new details. It mentions that Trevisan accuses Yale of "extremely violent behavior," which judging by both accounts doesn't seem to be the case, other than being handcuffed.

UPDATE 2: Gawker has a summary of several of the reports. Their reporter tried unsuccessfully to speak to the Yale Police Department. She added:

Yale says that because the seminar was a private event closed to the public and the media, Trevisan was not permitted on Yale property. This raises an interesting question since Trevisan claims that the building was open to the general public — and that she was singled out as a journalist merely for entering to ask a cop if she was in the right place. Legally, she was probably fine on the sidewalk, while the building would probably be classified as a "limited public forum". If other tourists and non-members of the seminar were permitted to ask the cop inside for help or directions, arresting Trevisan for engaging in the same behavior while being a journalist could be illegal.

UPDATE 3: Following the arrest, Justice Barbosa said that he was sorry about Trevisan's arrest, and said "she was only doing her job."

UPDATE 4: The New Haven Independent has one of the most complete reports on the incident. It notes that Yale Law School Dean Robert Post was the one who asked for Trevisan to be released and have the charges against her dropped. It also has some good quotes from Trevisan:

On Barbosa: "He’s a public person. His salary is paid by the state. I thought we had all the right to know where he is and what he has done.”

On going to Yale: “I had no intention to attend the seminar itself. I knew I was not welcomed. But I needed to make sure to know on which sidewalk to wait.”

It also includes a second statement from Yale released Sunday night, as follows:

“Ms. Trevisan sought to gain entry to the private gathering by misrepresenting herself to the Yale Police officer who was providing security at the event, claiming to be ‘'looking for a friend.' The event was being held in a private room in a university building outside the law school. Although the first floor of this building is generally accessible to the public, this event was taking place on the second floor in a private room. Staff who were present identified Ms. Trevisan as having previously been informed of the private nature of the event. Because of her attempts to enter the private meeting and because she misrepresented her intentions to a police officer, Ms. Trevisan was escorted from the building and arrested for trespassing."

On the Folha reporter, Yale said: "He agreed respectfully to wait on public property to interview those participants who wished to speak to the press.”

 

Q&A on A Voz do Alemão

René Silva, the wunderkind of Rio's Complexo do Alemão favela, has another accomplishment to add to his list. He has co-authored a new book, called A Voz do Alemão. The book tells the story of René's community, the newspaper Voz da Comunidade which he started at age 11, and his rise to fame as a young journalist. Published last month, the book is now available throughout Brazil.

René is quite busy these days, traveling to book launches and continuing his work at Voz da Comunidade, as well as being very active on social media. He's also working on rebuilding Voz da Comunidade's offices, which were destroyed in a fire in July. I spoke briefly to René about the book and his views on the project.

What is the book about?

The book tells the story of residents of Complexo do Alemão that helped give a voice to the community. These are the people who helped change the image of the community through social projects.

Journalist Sabrina Abreu co-authored the book. How did you two divide the work?

Sabrina Abreu and I divided the work here in Alemão like this: I recommended everyone who made up the story of the newspaper and who developed social projects [in the community], and she began interviewing them. I went with her to a few places. She based a lot of the story on the Voz da Comunidade newspaper to write the book.

What do you hope to accomplish with the book? What's the most important message in the book?

I hope that the authorities focus more on communities, and that big businesses develop more educational projects in favelas so we can have a better future, without poverty. The message is that it's not enough to just put police in communities and think that all's well; you also need to bring more government investment.

What's your favorite part of the book?

Every part of the book is really neat. But I really liked the chapter that explains how I became famous overnight...it was really fast. I've never heard another story like it.

The book came out after Brazil's protests in June, with ongoing demonstrations in Rio. Do you think these protest could benefit communities like Alemão?

Yes, I believe the protests could benefit communities, because government agencies are going to look at favelas differently.

Brazil's Protests and the Journalism Debate

Mídia Ninja covering an "Occupy Globo" protest

One of the important results of Brazil's protests has been not only to "awaken" people from a seeming collective apathy, but also to get people to question how institutions work. Do the country's elected representatives really represent the people? Is the government investing in what's best for citizens? Should corruption continue to go on unpunished?

One of the issues Brazilians have been questioning and debating is the media. On one hand, the citizen journalism group Mídia Ninja has come under fire for a variety of reasons, many stemming from its umbrella group Fora do Eixo. In recent weeks, there's been a veritable storm on social media and lots of chatter about the group, its funding, and how Fora do Eixo works. Representatives of Mídia Ninja have gone on TV and spoken to the mainstream media to defend their case. Claire Rigby has an excellent breakdown of what's been happening to that end.

On the other hand, the protests brought out a surge of anti-Globo sentiment. Globo is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, controlling the country's largest TV network, newspapers, radio stations, and magazines, not to mention a publishing house, music label, and film production company, among other things. It's also known for having manipulated coverage in the past. The initial negative coverage of the protests in the mainstream media likely helped fuel this anti-Globo anger, but the overall feeling was one of being fed up with the network.

So what this particular issue boils down to is that Brazilians are debating the quality of journalism, which is a valid and worthy question in any democracy.

Some of the questions that the Mídia Ninja and Globo furor have raised include the following:

• Is it acceptable for a media outlet to have a bias, or to have some sort of agenda? 

While Globo is a right-leaning network, and Mídia Ninja is left-leaning. Globo has been known to manipulate the news on a national scale and is generally critical of Brazil's ruling party; Mídia Ninja is pro-protester and generally sympathetic to left-leaning social movements. Critics on both sides have pointed to these organizations of having a bias.

• Should reporters have training or education, or at least the adequate skills to report stories?

Mídia Ninja has come under fire for using citizen journalists, some of whom are inexperienced--which became evident during an interview with the mayor of Rio. But that doesn't mean that other media outlets, even large ones, all have fully competent reporters, either.

This is also an important question given a controversy over whether reporters should have a degree in journalism in order to work. There's a law, passed in 1969, that requires journalists to have a college degree in journalism. But in 2009, the Supreme Court ruled that the dictatorship-era legislation was no longer valid. Now, Brazil's Congress is considering a constitutional amendment that would require all journalists working in their field to have a college degree in journalism. The Senate approved the measure last year; the Chamber of Deputies has yet to vote on it. When journalists register to become part of a local reporters' union, they are sometimes denied entry if they lack a journalism degree, or asked to prove with documentation that they're working in the field.

• Where does a media outlet's money com from?
  

Part of the hooplah about Mídia Ninja stemmed from allegations about Fora do Eixo, its umbrella organization that funds the group. Now, the group hopes to soon implement new ways to fund itself, ranging from donations to crowdfunding. In turn, Mídia Ninja has pointed out that the government is one of the major advertisers in mainstream print and online media.

Meanwhile, Brazilian news organizations are shedding jobs; recently, Editora Abril, one of the country's largest publishers, announced layoffs and said it would close a number of magazines.

• Should Globo be allowed to be the giant it has become?

This is one of the central questions Globo critics have long debated and resurged during the protests. Along with radio, print, and online media, Globo TV is a dominant force in Brazilian media and life in general. A 2010 survey found that around 70 percent of Brazilians say Globo is their favorite free TV channel, and over half of Brazilians reported spending two or more hours a day watching TV.

Those who oppose Globo's size are hoping to challenge its dominance with a new law. After receiving 50,000 signatures, an initiative was launched this month to introduce a bill in Congress called the Democratic Media Law. (Mídia Ninja covered the launch.) This would seek to prevent media monopolies and to make the process of media concessions more transparent. Those campaigning for the law aim to get over a million signatures and for Congress to consider it.

Arguably, one of the reasons Brazil's protests became a national phenomenon was because of both Mídia Ninja and Globo. People were angered by the police violence and repression captured on the ground, but it was Globo's "change of heart" from framing the protesters as vandals to legitimate demonstrators that helped shift public opinion.

• How important is fact-checking? Is it enough to capture the moment using things like photo and video and to simply cite sources?

Since Mídia Ninja has been doing a lot of real-time coverage, this can mean there's live reporting of things that people are saying or alleging, but may not be true, which is further fueled by social media. But frankly, fact-checking is an issue that affects all media outlets, including Globo.

• Should reporters be doing investigations? Or is it enough to just report from the scene of breaking news?

Mídia Ninja has largely been doing reporting from the scene, be it protests, "occupations" of cities halls, and other demonstrations, as opposed to more investigative work. However, they are doing some reporting, publishing some longer-form texts on their Facebook page on issues such as indigenous conflicts and corruption in transportation companies. They are still working on launching a website, which as one of their editors told me, will help them expand their work. On the other hand, it raises the question: are major media outlets doing their job in terms of investigative work? Is there more they could be doing, or other areas they should be focusing on?

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The bottom line is that all of these questions are good ones, both in Brazil and other countries, too. And the truth is that mainstream media could learn from Mídia Ninja and vice versa. For example, a journalist from Folha de São Paulo covered a recent protest using Google Glass, as well as a drone above the crowd. Globo does have some great journalists, including ones that have sought to shed light on poor public services and police violence during the protests.

Perhaps, the truth is that for media outlets to be successful, they need to find a happy medium between Mídia Ninja and Globo. It's become increasingly clear that mainstream media will need to be more creative with real-time coverage, as well as the use of new technology and multimedia. On the other hand, in order to maintain the momentum it's gained, Mídia Ninja may need to adapt traditional journalism methods, too.

Image: Mídia Ninja.