{"id":19807,"date":"2015-01-05T13:02:25","date_gmt":"2015-01-05T16:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=19807"},"modified":"2025-08-07T12:08:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T15:08:07","slug":"best-and-worst-international-reporting-on-rios-favelas-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=19807","title":{"rendered":"Best and Worst International Reporting on Rio’s Favelas: 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas\"\"<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This is the latest contribution to our media watchdog series on the\u00a0Best and Worst International Reporting on Rio\u2019s favelas<\/a>, part of\u00a0RioOnWatch\u2019s ongoing conversation on the\u00a0media narrative<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0media portrayal<\/a>\u00a0surrounding favelas.<\/em><\/p>\n

2014 was an unprecedented year for coverage of Rio\u2019s favelas<\/a> in the international media, with the World Cup and the upcoming 2016 Olympics shining an increasingly bright spotlight on the city\u2019s challenges. RioOnWatch worked to support foreign journalists<\/a> to report on favelas, providing information and contacts with the goal of facilitating nuanced representations of Rio and accurate reflections of community views. We also monitored the content<\/a> and quality<\/a> of English-language articles produced around the world over the course of the year. Many articles have highlighted critical and complex issues facing Rio today, providing diverse perspectives and telling previously little-known stories. We\u2019ve noticed an exciting reduction of the use of words like \u2018slum\u2019 or \u2018shantytown\u2019 to describe favelas<\/a>. This is a fantastic trend, as the deep-rooted stigma associated with \u2018slum language<\/a>\u2019 in English obstructs efforts<\/a> to approach favelas as communities with both challenges and potential solutions. However, 2014 still saw numerous articles that aimed to introduce foreign readers to favelas without<\/em> offering resident perspectives, and as a result perpetuating old stigmas. In a context where rights and services have been historically denied based on prejudice, such reporting can have far-reaching negative consequences. Here we examine some of the poorer reporting on Rio\u2019s favelas from 2014, and then highlight some of the pieces we thought best contributed to the ongoing discussion. Images used are those that accompanied the original articles.<\/p>\n

THE WORST<\/b><\/h3>\n

Fox Sports<\/em> \u2013 \u2018Beautiful Chaos\u2019 by Adam Peacock: Rio\u2019s favelas were like visiting another world<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>In December 2014, Fox Sports featured an account of a writer\u2019s visit to Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/a>. The account lacks any direct perspectives from Brazilian favela residents. Instead, it is flush with quotes from an Irish-Australian NGO worker who was frequently sought out for information on the realities of favelas by English-speaking journalists during the World Cup. The absence of other perspectives leaves Peacock to make sweeping generalizations that stigmatize the population. \u201cParents are either desperately trying to make ends meet, or, more likely, trapped by drug addiction,\u201d he writes, insinuating that most parents\u00a0in the favela are addicts despite no evidence to support it. Meanwhile, imagery of happy but na\u00efve kids with bare feet and \u201cworn clothes held together by threads\u201d portrays a level of poverty that does exist in Complexo do Alem\u00e3o, but which is not pervasive. In fact, the community is increasingly home to lower-middle-class consumers and new businesses, including the area\u2019s first shopping mall<\/a>. For Peacock, however, the \u201cstories and the sights\u201d he encounters \u201cdepress the soul, which is further crushed upon realizing this is just one among thousands like it in Brazil.\u201d Peacock joins the company of many journalists who reported on their own emotions as they toured favelas without reporting any community perspectives. A writer for the Irish Times<\/a> describes the favela he visits as \u201can environment so tenuous and so hostile it is a wonder anyone can persevere with it,\u201d but does not investigate how residents persevere, or whether they might have something positive to say about their environment. Unfortunately, this style of reporting, whereby the journalist\u2019s own prejudices, expectations and limited impressions are projected into their representation of a place, wastes an opportunity to give a platform to the voices and ideas of favela residents, who already struggle to be heard in debates about their own lives.<\/p>\n

The Daily Beast<\/em> \u2013 Rio\u2019s real-life slumdog millionaires<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\n

This unfortunately-titled article from The Daily Beast reports that improved security brought about by the government\u2019s Pacifying Police Unit (UPP)<\/a> program has transformed the residents of Vidigal\u2019s ocean-view properties into a \u201cnew legion of unintentional real estate tycoons.\u201d The author wonders whether residents should \u201csell now and cash in their millions, or hold tight for a chance to make even more.\u201d Without providing a single quote from a resident of Vidigal<\/a>, the author assumes residents must be looking to play this \u201cultimate game of real-estate roulette\u201d and sell their way out of the community he portrays as an undesirable living environment. However, as examples from favelas across the city have demonstrated, many people choose to turn down significant amounts of money in order to remain<\/a> in their communities. \"Photo<\/a>Failing to recognize the assets of favelas<\/a>, as this article does, leads to policies that seek to remove neighborhoods entirely rather than work with inhabitants to improve them. Furthermore, the author fails to explore the implications<\/a> of real estate speculation on rental tenants in the community, nor the reality that, rather than a real estate gold mine, Rio\u2019s favelas are the city\u2019s affordable housing stock<\/a> and designated \u2018zones of special social interest.\u2019 The author does not provide a single example of a resident who has successfully sold a home for millions. By glorifying the new market opportunities available to residents, this piece minimizes the very real threats of gentrification<\/a> and Vidigal\u2019s efforts<\/a> to debate and formulate community-led responses<\/a> to this phenomenon.<\/p>\n

Gulf Times<\/em> \u2013 A doctor\u2019s house call in a favela<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\n

At the beginning of the World Cup various outlets\u00a0published the reflections of a US-based doctor who visited Rocinha<\/a>,\u00a0including\u00a0Gulf Times<\/a>,\u00a0Counterpunch<\/a>,\u00a0Japan Times<\/a>, and others, leading to the circulation of this piece among different audiences throughout the duration of the tournament. The doctor presents information that is both false\u2013such as his statement that police are \u201cnormally unable to enter favelas\u201d\u2013and stigmatizing\u2013for example the assertion that \u201cfavelas house many people involved in drug trade and other crimes.\u201d Did the doctor think it would make for a less compelling piece to admit that 99% of favela residents\u00a0are not directly involved<\/a> with drug trafficking? His story about having to check in with men at each \u201clevel\u201d of the favela in order to \u201creach the upper level alive\u201d simply does not reflect the experience of visitors<\/a> to Rocinha. It is unfortunate that this sensationalist story was given multiple platforms from which to influence readers around the world.<\/p>\n

THE BEST<\/b><\/h3>\n

Next City<\/em> — Ghettos of the World Cup<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\n

\"Patr\u00edcia<\/a>Published at the beginning of the World Cup, this comprehensive research piece draws together interviews, extensive geospatial and housing data, and pertinent historical context to provide an in-depth exploration of the current state of displacement and housing projects in Rio. Forefronted in the article is the testimony of a family who were moved into a housing project from their home in the favela Vila Recreio II<\/a>. The result is a strong critique<\/a> of Brazil\u2019s Minha Casa Minha Vida<\/a> housing project policy and an important collection of evidence with which to challenge those in the government<\/a> and mainstream Brazilian media who have only praises for the policy. The same author wrote another of our favorite 2014 pieces, titled \u2018This neighborhood needed a basic sanitation system\u2013it got a gondola instead<\/a>.\u2019 This article is a great example of how to report on the significant challenges facing favelas without falling into common traps of stigmatizing the residents or emphasizing outsider perspectives. The author first states a number of facts: \u201cAlem\u00e3o<\/a> is the neighborhood with the lowest Human Development Index in the city of Rio. Here, people live on average seven years fewer than residents of the rest of the city. Tuberculosis is a problem, and many residents miss school and work due to illness.\u201d Then, the author emphasizes the ways in which community leaders are taking action\u2013online petitions, packed public forums, op-eds, and innovative educational initiatives\u2013and forefronts quotes from residents who propose solutions.<\/p>\n

NPR<\/em> \u2013 In Brazil, Race is a matter of life and death<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

\"Pacification<\/a>Reporting on violence and dissecting race<\/a> issues is always a challenging task for journalists, and this article serves as an excellent example of diligent research and productive conversation. The author draws attention to an incidence of police violence that occurred the day before the World Cup began but which was largely ignored by international media. She contextualizes the event with key national statistics, quotes from a diverse range of sources, and a description of her visit to Mar\u00e9, where the police\u2019s victim lived. She uses her visit to describe the experience of entering the favela as a visitor and to recount a conversation with a resident\u2013the victim\u2019s father. The author states her observations\u2013\u201cEvery few corners, a group looks us over\u2026Trucks loaded with helmeted and heavily armed troops travel through the streets. It has the feel of a war, not a policing operation\u201d which contrast sharply with reporting implying that police operations have civilian aims–while avoiding the pitfalls of speculation based on pre-existing expectations. The different aspects of her research combine effectively to make an important argument: that security in Brazil must be considered in the context of racial inequalities. This is the first piece to announce a critical statistic in understanding the trends in Brazil today: “Brazil actually has gotten a lot safer for white people. In the past decade, homicides among whites have decreased 24 percent. But among the black population they have increased 40 percent.”<\/p>\n

More great reporting<\/b><\/h4>\n

Other great contributions about favelas and Rio from 2014 included architect Sol\u00e8ne Veysseyre\u2019s informal study of \u201cThe Unspoken Rules of Favela Construction<\/a>,\u201d Simon Jenkins\u2019 argument for a downsized Rio Olympics<\/a> to minimize the negative impacts on favelas and the rest of the city, and Vac Verikatis\u2019 analysis of World Cup impacts<\/a> in The Daily Beast<\/i>. There is also an emerging field of articles that approach favelas as assets, including pieces from The Age<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>The Independent<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Gizmodo<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>and Generation C Magazine<\/i><\/a>. Articles like this one<\/a> from GlobalVoices provided space for photographs taken by favela youth in order to represent the community through their lenses. There were also a number of writers and outlets that, throughout the year, consistently covered issues in Rio with sensitivity and productive representations: Julia Michaels on RioReal<\/a>, Dave Zirin at The Nation<\/i><\/a>, Rachel Glickhouse on RioGringa<\/a>, Chris Gaffney on Hunting White Elephants<\/a>, Favelissues<\/a>, and the Favelas@LSE blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Check out other articles looking at the Media Potrayal of Favelas here<\/a>.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas This is the latest contribution to our media watchdog series on the\u00a0Best and Worst International Reporting on Rio\u2019s favelas, part of\u00a0RioOnWatch\u2019s ongoing conversation on the\u00a0media narrative\u00a0and\u00a0media portrayal\u00a0surrounding favelas. 2014 was an […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":19827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1736,1288,1282,1334,1329],"tags":[32,1117,23,1900,1366,1616,12,2634,1910,363,39],"writer":[921],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19807","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-1736","8":"category-highlight","9":"category-research-analysis","10":"category-reviews","11":"category-by-international-observers","12":"tag-complexo-do-alemao","13":"tag-journalism","14":"tag-mass-media","15":"tag-media-narrative","16":"tag-analyzing-media-portrayal-of-favelas","17":"tag-reference","18":"tag-rocinha","19":"tag-series","20":"tag-series-best-worst-reporting","21":"tag-vidigal","22":"tag-vila-recreio-ii","23":"writer-rioonwatch"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19807"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81373,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19807\/revisions\/81373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19807"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=19807"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=19807"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=19807"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=19807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}