Global News Post: Information Network

Information networks are important to determine the influx of information a country experiences. For Brazil, I have listed the sources that help to contribute to such flow of information and help to give an insight into their knowledge resources.

Traditional Periodicals & Newspapers

1. Folha de São Paulo: This newspaper is a prestigious news outlet for the country of Brazil, published by Empresa Folha da Manhã SA, and sourced in Brazil. This newspaper is a “traditional” type of periodical, and it can be accessed through the link: https://www.folha.uol.com.br/. This source is also an online newspaper with breaking news and articles in a scroll-through format, however, each article can only be accessed through a subscription, and the entirety of the newspaper is in the official language of Brazil, Portuguese. The strengths of this periodical are that it gives local, statewide, countrywide, and international news coverage by journalists for the paper, and it has the largest Brazilian audience. The weakness would be the inaccessibility of international users in this newspaper domain; there is the language barrier of Portuguese, as well as the immediate paywall and cookie advertisement that pops up through navigation.

I chose this site because when I was searching for news coverage of Brazil on libguide, it gave me a list of 5 different authenticated sources used by locals in Brazil. I found this site to be informative because it is the topmost prestigious newspaper in Brazil, as well as the most-read. I plan to keep checking up on this site to note if there are any potential biases in this periodical.

2. Jornal do Brasil: This is another “traditional” periodical sourced in the country of Brazil, and its contents are entirely in Portuguese, the official language of Brazil. This newspaper can be accessed online here: https://www.jb.com.br/ and has the format of a traditional online newspaper–with a large, bold headline on the homepage, and smaller breaking stories underneath. The CEO is listed as Omar Peres, and the publisher is Jornal Do Brasil, created in 1891. The source is updated by journalists and writers for the newspaper and is constantly being updated by writers. This news source has strengths that lie in the fact that it is extremely cultural, where it talks about fashion, food, and sports that are relevant to Brazilians, but it also covers important issues such as politics and international affairs such as the Ukraine war. The weakness of this periodical is that it is entirely in Portuguese, making it hard to read for others in different countries who are not fluent in Portuguese.

I believe this newspaper is valuable because it includes multiple stories that appeal to a wide range of Brazilians, and it also is one of the most-read periodicals in Brazil. I found this website through the Global Information libguide, and I plan to continue monitoring the website to see if there is any output of news that seems extremely nationalistic or patriotic in sentiment.

3. The Rio Times

This source is one of Latin America’s biggest newspapers written in English and based in Brazil. The Rio Times is a newspaper that is available both as a print-text as well as an online periodical. This source is regularly updated by journalists hired by the publisher, The Rio Times, and its Editor is Matthias Camenzind. One of the weaknesses of the online version of this source is that it has an immediate pop-up function that asks to enable cookies on your device. One of the key strengths of this source features a setting that allows viewers to select which language they would like to read articles which promotes accessibility. This source is important for those wishing to learn more about Brazil because it gives viewers the chance to see real-time what is happening in Latin America, internationally, and offers an objective viewpoint on news coverage.

4. O Dia

O Dia is a daily newspaper based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and its contents are written fully in Portuguese. O Dia is widely used as both a print and an online news source and can be accessed here. This newspaper is regularly updated almost hourly by writers and columnists for this publisher “Groupo O Dia,” with its editor being Henrique Freitas. The information given by this news source is mainly current events such as national and international news, Brazil pop culture, sports, and breaking news. The strengths of this source include its user-friendly website design and wide news coverage, but the weakness is its availability solely in the language of Portuguese. I believe this news source is important for readers interested in learning about Brazil because it is a major daily newspaper that Brazilians read and it would bring them closer to sharing in their culture as well.

New Media Text-Based Sources

1. Wikipedia: For this “new media” source, I decided to use the Brazil website on Wikipedia, accessed online at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil. Wikipedia sources are one of the most internationally accessed websites anywhere in the world, and the Brazil page can be accessed in most languages–which comes in handy when people in different countries wish to access a website. This source gives an in-depth analysis of the country of Brazil and its authors are open to the public. The website is updated by each author who chooses to contribute to the page, and the strengths include a diverse, multi-perspective webpage. The weakness is that the content may be susceptible to inaccuracies or biases, as the authors may not be trained and unbiased journalists. I find this source to be valuable because Wikipedia is so widely accessed by many readers.

I found this source by typing “Brazil” into a Google search engine, which returned the result of the Brazil Wikipedia page. I plan to keep watch if there are any other new contributions to the page by editors to see what types of revisions are made to the page.

2. Brasil Wire

Brasil Wire is a “new media” news source that offers an abundance of social and political issues and pop culture stories. Its publisher is BrasilWire and it was founded and published in the EU. One of the strengths of this source si that it is available fully in English for English readers, however, one weakness is its lack of coverage of other breaking news stories happening around the globe. The source’s perspective is more targeted toward younger generations and social activists, so it would be a valuable resource for those wishing to get involved and gain an understanding of Brazil’s socio-political climate.

3. A Cara Do Rio

This new media source is fully in Portuguese, and it is called “A Cara Do Rio“, translated meaning “The Face of Rio”. This is a blog founded by Thata Monteiro and published by A Cara Do Rio. This blog covers exciting destinations across Brazil, the current and upcoming events around town, and businesses/institutions to visit. One weakness would be that since the source is a blog, it is opinion-based, as well as only applicable to travelers in Brazil. One strength of the source is that it’s colorful, easy to navigate, and available in 6 different languages. Another strength and reason for visiting this blog are that Monteiro is a native of Brazil so she knows what she’s talking about, alongside the reviews her blog has gotten from site visitors.

Social Media Sources

1. Twitter- Government of Brazil @govbrazil: For this social media source, I decided to utilize the source of the Government of Brazil on Twitter as @govbrazil, which, much to my dismay, is where a large portion of social media users get their news. This source claims to be operated by the government of Brazil and includes a link to the official website of their country’s government. This social media outlet is written in English and is based in Brazil. This source is updated by an official social media curator for the government of Brazil, and it covers many aspects of the country’s affairs, such as the current event issue of “Wi-Fi Brazil,” which is a program developed by the Brazilian government to bring high-speed internet to places with little or no connection, favoring communities in a state of social vulnerability. I believe this source is valuable because it gives social media users up-to-date coverage of Brazil’s news and issues that relate to the Brazilian government.

   I found this source by searching “Brazil Twitter” on the Google search engine, and I plan to continue to monitor this website to see if there are any other types of stories that reach beyond the bounds of governmental stories/stories with any biases.

2. Brazil on Facebook

Brazil has a Page on Facebook which links to its governmental website under its page description. The source doesn’t get updated by a certain source, however, it is updated through mentions of “Brazil” on Facebook users’ posts. When a user posts a picture or tags a location of “Brazil,” it automatically adds that picture to the wall of posts under the Page on Facebook. The publisher is Facebook, and the page is based in Brazil and lacks a definite author, which is one of its weaknesses. Its strength is that it’s not a closed-off group and anyone can like or contribute. I think this is a good source for those who are willing to see how 2/3 of the Brazilian population communicate online through social media, considering Facebook is the most largely-used social media platform in Brazil.

3. #brazil

This social media source comes directly from the social media platform Instagram, where the publisher is Meta by Facebook, and the authors are Instagram users. People who use the hashtag #brazil in their posts automatically get their posts featured under this hashtag that is available for users to follow, as well as like, and comment under posts that they see under this hashtag. A negative in this source is that a post may say #brazil, but the actual place or topic of the post doesn’t have at all to do with Brazil. However, the strength of this source is its diversity and universal contribution ability. I think that users could benefit from looking up #brazil if they would like to see social media posts regarding the country of Brazil and real social interactions of users on the Instagram platform.

Data Sources

1. Statista: This is a data source that includes information on countless aspects of countries worldwide. The source is in English and based online at the link: https://www.statista.com/topics/1537/brazil/#topicHeader__wrapper, regularly updated and published by Statista. Statista seeks to uncover different data and analytics surrounding the livelihood of citizens in Brazil, such as population, age-related statistics, social media usage, and so on. I believe this source has strengths in that it is important in giving users information about Brazil-related matters and its population statistics. It has little bias and seeks to give extremely detailed information ranging from GDP per capita to the penetration of Facebook usage in Brazil. A weakness that I see from this source is that Premium membership is required to access the VIP sections of the statistics, which already runs into a massive problem of accessibility. I wish that the site could give more access to individuals seeking to understand different countries around the world without having to pay such a costly fee.

I found this source through a presentation by Lee Arngh-Chang and found it to be extremely useful in finding more about Brazil. I plan to see what other statistics may be available on this source. I also plan to sign up for the program to see what other offers it may unlock for the users of its website.

2. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Brazil has a country statistical profile from OECD that lists all kinds of statistical information ranging from meat production to GDP. OECD is an international organization that was created to build better policies around the world and its publisher is OECD. The contributors are from countries around the world gathering statistics on certain countries on detailed information based on current data. The strength of this source is that it has a wide coverage of statistics on a country and much data on many countries. A weakness is that it lacks language translation features and can be easily lost in the weeds if it is unknown to internet users. I think this source is beneficial for providing people with knowledge about Brazil and gives them a wide array of gathered information to sift through.

3. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE)

IBGE is an online source based in Brazil and is Brazil’s source of data for all things currently affecting its country. This source gives a current insight as to the inflation rates, population, GDP, unemployment, and so on. Its strength is that it’s updated extremely real-time and gives good coverage of rates such as the prices of produce (currently being .56%). A weakness is that this source focuses solely on Brazil so it doesn’t give much information about other international countries. I think this source would be beneficial to actual Brazilian natives currently residing in Brazil to monitor the rates and inflation of their nation-state so that they’re able to adjust accordingly.

Visual/Audio Sources 

1. BBC News Brazil: This audio-visual news source is based in the United Kingdom, as BBC stands for British Broadcasting Corporation.  The language is entirely in English, and the publisher is BBC News. Contributors are BBC News Editors around the world and local reporters in Brazil. The source can be accessed at this link: https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cmj34zmw77wt/brazil. The strength of this website is the same as its weakness; since it is based in the UK, there will be a less biased view of news in Brazil, however, the downfall is that since it’s based in Britain, the news may not be so culturally keen or aware as some of the local news in local newspapers based in Brazil. I found this audio-visual source to be useful and helpful because this news source and website is accessed worldwide and is considered extremely informative and dependable.

I found this website when looking up news about Brazil online on DuckDuckGo, and felt that its contents were pertinent to the country’s status, and I plan to continue comparing BBC to other papers sourced in Brazil to see if there are any big differences between the reportings.

2. The Edge of Democracy (Netflix)

This source is a personal memoir by Petra Costa that explores the underbelly of two Brazilian Presidencies and gives a holistic viewpoint of someone who resided in Brazil during that time. This documentary is strong because it sheds light on the political condition of Brazil, which is hard to catch solely through news sources or journals, and exposes many of Brazil’s tensions and issues. A weakness of this source is that it requires a Netflix subscription to be able to watch the documentary, but one strength is that it was nominated for an Oscar and is extremely educating. I think that if one has any interest in exploring the political schema of Brazil, it would be informative to watch this documentary.

3. “Explaining Brazil”- The Brazilian Report

The Brazilian Report is an independent media outlet that posts audio podcasts called “Explaining Brazil” which talks about the climate of Brazil news and gives brief headlines and happenings around the country. This source is published by The Brazilian Report and is based in Brazil. One of its weaknesses is that it only speaks on behalf of Brazil, but its strength is that it is accessible and has a large scope of listeners. I think this source would be advantageous for people who are commuting or multitasking but also want to stay updated on the current events in Brazil.

Additional Sources

1. Globo.com: This source is Brazil’s #1 most-read news website for information, and can be accessed at: https://www.globo.com/. The website is written in the official language of Brazil: Portuguese. It is updated by journalists and news editors, and published by Globo Comunicação e Participações SA. Information that can be accessed through this source includes politics, international affairs, sports, cultural events, pop culture, food recipes, and more. This website included plentiful information, however, the weaknesses of this source are that it seems to include much more variety and bias when covering news, and it pulls quotes and soundbites from individuals and uses them as headlines, as well as frames the article titles to seem more flashy and generate more “clicks.” Its strength is why I chose this source in the first place which is its outreach to the audience. It can be easily accessed and is the most navigated news website in Brazil.

I found this source by searching “Brazil news sites” through SimilarWeb, which gives an official measure of the digital world. The results returned the top most-viewed news outlets in Brazil, which was extremely useful. I plan to use this source to stay on top of cultural happenings within the country of Brazil.

2. Fashionismo

This additional source appeals to the fashion-minded public and is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Thereza Chammas is the creator of this fashion blog that is widely praised and has a loyal fanbase. The contents of this website are written fully in Portuguese, which is the downside to this source, however, the positive is the strong ability to capture fashion trends and distinct Brazilian style sense in this publication. I think this source would be perfect for those who are trying to get in touch with the current trends in Brazil’s fashion.

3. Olivia’s Cuisine

This source highlights the different foods from around the world that São Paolo, Brazil- native Olivia Mesquita has brought to the food world. In this blog, she explores different recipes as well as authentic Brazilian recipes of food she’s had while growing up. The positive of this website is its versatility. It brings in foods from around the world and features beautiful photos of her creations. A negative is that it doesn’t have other languages for readers of her blog to translate it into. I think this blog would be extremely beneficial for people who are trying to get in touch with Brazilian culture, and what better way to do so than with food?