Reporters’ Alliance in Brazil for a dually responsible and solidary media

The International Alliance of Reporters (J-Aliança) in Brazil is a network that was formed in the context of the citizen alliances, which is supported by the FPH (Fundação Charles Leopold Mayer pelo Progresso da Humanidade—Charles Leopold Mayer Foundation for the Progress of Humankind). It is headquartered in Paris, France.

The goal is to work and focus on the theme of reporters’ "Responsibility” to offer those professionals in the field as well as journalism students with a space for reflection. It is an international network and a movement for sharing experiences, reflections, and concrete proposals for the modification of journalistic practises, which aren’t always in agreement with ethical principals.

The key: Responsibility

J-Aliança trains journalism teachers and students to focus on Ethics in Journalism.
The Letter of Human Responsibilities is the ethical basis on which J-Aliança validates its work, in which based upon this charter, J-Aliança aims to establish a Letter of Reporters’ Responsibilities (R). Enlarging the network of J-Aliança, increasing its visibility, and influencing the reporters’ “R” are all a part of the immediate goal.

Actions in Brazil

J-Aliança has been conducting courses and workshops on Media and Reporters’ Responsibility, in partnership with universities and institutions as well as conducting periodic meetings and dialogues between reporters and civil society. The intention is to analyse the way certain themes have been discussed in the Brazilian media. Thus, the reporter hears the citizens’ critics “live”.
Besides for Brazil, J-Aliança also promotes interchanging, transmitting, and conferring visibility to the materials produced on the international site with the other countries of the International Alliance of Reporters (India and France). Therefore, step by step, it conquers a space in the media, cable TV, educational and university TV, radio and community TV, as well as other broadcasting means.

Lectures and “Café Mídia”

J-Aliança holds biweekly meetings in São Paulo where the actions to be developed are planned and where members of the group attend several lectures. In the past few months of 2006, Marta Molina conducted lectures, in turn speaking of “Ethics and Responsible Journalism in Universities”, “Allying verbs and the budget”, by Luiz Henrique Miranda and “Ethics in News Agencies” by Roberto Cattani (all of these are available on the International site: www.alianca-jornalistas.net).
Café-Midia, based on the theme “Urban War and Media Responsibility”, which is a dialogue between society and reporters on the attacks of PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital – First Command of the Capital) in São Paulo, in May of 2006 was carried out.
In 2007, three “Café mídia” events have been promoted, with lectures and workshops to be held at some universities and in newspapers. A new template is also to be incorporated with the “J-Aliança Dialogues”, side by side with PUC, in which cooperation with the teacher Julio Wagner, the director of PUC TV is counted on. Le Monde Diplomatique, affiliate - Brasil, is also one of the new partners of J-Aliança, thanks to the cooperation of reporter Antonio Martins.

New sections of J-Aliança

In the current year, a new section of J-Aliança was formed in the city of Santos (SP), in which there is a proposal in progress for the creation of another section in São Luis (MA) via co-operation with the reporter Vera Salles. In the State of São Paulo, there is one section in Sorocaba (under the coordination of reporter Helio Rubens), and another one in Bahia, in Salvador under the responsibility of the RAI reporter Stefano Barbi-Cinti. The person responsible for the section in Santos is a reporter from Barcelona, Spain named Marta Molina, who has been a member of the J-Aliança since July 2006.

In Santos, a partnership was established with the newspaper A Tribuna, the University UNIMONTE, and the Reporters’ Syndicate of the State of São Paulo. The syndicate still supports and co-operates with the activities that are currently being developed, in turn providing the group with a work space, and organising lectures, workshops, and meetings.

Active and interactive participation

J-Aliança has a network of collaborators inside and outside of Brazil. The sections of Brazilian reporter collaborators hold biweekly meetings wherein they maintain permanent contact through the Internet. It is an open group and, therefore, every observation, co-operation, and participation is welcomed through the e-mail address aliancajornalistas LPY gmail.com. Young journalism students, professional reporters, and journalism teachers are allowed to register through that e-mail address in order to become a part of this growing network.

Aliança Internacional de Jornalistas
Sede em São Paulo
Coord responsável: Isis de Palma
Sede em SP: Instituto Ágora em Defesa do Eleitor e da Democracia
Av.9 de Julho, 5.966 - 5º Jardins SP
tel 11 – 38980123 11-7661 6950
Sede em Santos
(coord.. Marta Molina)
Sindicato de Jornalistas. Rua Martim Afonso, 101, 6º andar, Centro.
Tel. 13-3219 2546
13- 3321 3258
11- 7661 6950 (Marta Molina)
aliancajornalistas LPY gmail.com
www.alianca-jornalistas.net/