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Latest News
  • [ April 10, 2026 ] There’s Blood in the Palmeiras Favela: The Cry for Help Police Chose Not to Hear in São Gonçalo’s Salgueiro Favela Complex #UPPWatch
  • [ April 8, 2026 ] ‘While Water Is Scarce, Profits Abound!’ On World Water Day, Outraged Movements Demand Right to Water in Front of Águas do Rio, Rio de Janeiro’s Private Utility, and Call for Restatization *Highlight
  • [ April 2, 2026 ] ‘International Favelas Conference’ Promotes a (dis)Integrated City: From Erasing Favela Residents to Global Marketing [OPINION] #ParticipationWatch
  • [ March 31, 2026 ] Rio Civil Society Forms Front to Defend Trees From City Hall #ParticipationWatch
  • [ March 29, 2026 ] Award-Winning Middle School in Penha Favela Hosts Gardening Collective Action Engaging Passionate Young Environmental Leaders *Highlight
HomeMedia Portrayal of Favelas

Media Portrayal of Favelas

#Rio2016

Australian Olympic Committee and Media Reports Perpetuate Favela Stigma

By RioOnWatch Editorial • April 11, 2016

Clique aqui para Português The Australian Olympic Committee plans to ban its athletes and team members from visiting favelas while in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics. The team at RioOnWatch implores the AOC to reconsider its […]

#CommunityMedia

‘Imagens do Povo’ Photography Collective Part 3: Resistance Through Beauty

By Andrea Cangialosi • March 10, 2016

Clique aqui para Português This is the final article in a three-part series on the Imagens do Povo photography collective.  “I think we’re living this great conflict: one story or many stories; maintaining the status quo or bringing […]

Favela Tourism

The Spectacular Favela: Violence in Modern Brazil [BOOK REVIEW]

By Meg Healy • March 1, 2016

For decades, media coverage of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas characterized these neighborhoods as peripheral and violent, documenting organized crime, armed robberies and homicides as somehow inherent to the informal city. As misconceptions of the nature […]

#CommunityMedia

Police Kill Youth and Terrify Residents in Intense Police Operations in Maré

By Felicity Clarke • February 25, 2016

Clique aqui para Português On Monday February 22, police killed 19 year-old Igor Silva during an operation in the Parque União favela in Complexo da Maré in Rio’s North Zone. The same day a graphic […]

#CommunityMedia

What the Mainstream Media Gets Wrong When Covering Favelas

By Thainã de Medeiros • Translation by Rachel Fox • February 3, 2016

Clique aqui para Português The original text was published in Portuguese by community reporter and activist Thainã de Medeiros* on his Facebook page and republished on Favela 247. Thainã is an organizer of the Coletivo Papo Reto media collective […]

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RioOnWatch’s anti-racist reporting series won silver in the 2022 inaugural The Anthem Awards, in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category among Best Local Awareness Programs.
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About

In May 2010, Catalytic Communities launched what was originally Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch (hence RioOnWatch), a program to bring visibility to favela community voices in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. This news site, RioOnWatch.org, grew into a much-needed and unique reference featuring favela perspectives on the urban transformation of Rio. With diverse and deeply interlinked articles by a mix of community reporters, resident opinions, solidarity reporters, international observers, and academic researchers, we work to engender a more accurate picture of favelas, their contributions to the city, and the potential of favela-led community development in Rio and around the world.

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Awards

Special Thanks

Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil
World Habitat
Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña
Pastoral de Favelas
Center for CLT Innovation
Global Land Alliance
Ecocity Builders
Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation
SDSU Behner Stiefel Center
The Rio Times
Forum Grita Baixada
Beto Paixão Graphic Design
Architecture Museum of Vienna
Yale School of Architecture

  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
    • Understanding Rio
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  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
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    • Greater Rio
  • Policies
    • Public Security
    • Housing
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
    • Community Solution
    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
      • Anti-Racist Series
      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
    • Interviews/Profiles
    • Research & Analysis
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
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