2019: 71% of the time devoted to violent and / or negative issues

The Paz na Mídia initiative evaluated 25,870 public stories throughout 2019 on the country’s four main news programs (Jornal Nacional, Jornal da Record, Jornal da Band and Jornal do SBT) and found: the news reports submitted Brazilians to 462 hours of negative news ( which gives the daily average of 88 minutes), with another 162 hours dealing with violence (37 minutes on average each day). The articles on positive aspects of reality added up to the same 162 hours devoted to violent issues. Together, the articles that showed negative subjects and violence corresponded to 71% of the time of the news.

This situation is serious as there are strong indications that there is a cause and effect relationship between the violence shown in the media and the future practice of violent acts. Their approach to problems, on the other hand, often aims to awaken negative feelings – instead of stimulating the search for solutions.

The accumulation of these sensations helps to build a frightened, tense and unhealthy society. Positive stories about reality accounted for 21% of TV news time. If someone based their life experience only on what they saw on the news in November, they would have reason to be depressed.

Monthly Analysis

In January, the month of vacation and the inauguration of the new government, the media was even more negative than the average for the year (61% negative exposure against 50% of the annual average). The prison rebellions in the North / Northeast occupied vast spaces and the Brumadinho tragedy occurred.

The month of February stands out for the big repercussion of the rupture of the Brumadinho dam and the intense search for hundreds of victims who were buried in the mud. There was also big repercussion for the accident that caused the death of journalist Ricardo Boechat. It was a month of a lot of political crisis. Bolsonaro had trouble getting decrees passed and there was a political crisis in Latin America, especially in Venezuela with the power struggle between Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó.

March was a month of great exposure to violence on TV news (24%, against 21% of the annual average), despite having been the month of Carnival. The massacre at a school in Suzano had great repercussions and also the attack that left dozens of people dead in a church in Australia. Within a short period of time, the month highlighted the attacks in Ceará and for the tragedy of the building where a school that collapsed and killed hundreds of people in Nigeria, most of them being children.

The month of April was highlighted in the news about violence, police operations against gangs and cases of femicide, with several reports about aggression and sexual abuse. The month also brought denunciations and the arrest of the medium ‘João de Deus’.

In May there was a little more positive news (20% against 17% of the annual average) due to Mother’s Day and the celebration of Labor Day. Among the violent and negative cases, the attack against Virginia’s City Hall building that left 11 dead was highlighted. The tragedy that hit an entire family of Brazilians in Chile was also reported. The six Brazilians were found dead in an apartment in Santiago poisoned by carbon monoxide.

In June there was a large volume of news with the rape accusation of model Najila Trindade against soccer player Neymar. It was also reported extensively the murder of actor Rafael Miguel by his girlfriend’s father. Another case of violence occupied the news: the murder of Pastor Anderson in Rio de Janeiro. With all these cases, the participation of the news on violent subjects reached 27%, against the annual average of 21%. In June there was also a higher volume of neutral news due to the Copa America (11%, against 8% of the annual average).

July was marked by political crises around the world, such as the crisis in Venezuela, the immigration crisis between Mexico and the USA and the discussion about the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, composing a picture of negative issues. The news also highlighted violent clashes between protesters and police during protests in Venezuela and Hong Kong, as well as news of the massacre at the Altamira prison that left 62 prisoners dead.

The month of August had a high number of negative issues due to controversies over illegal fires and fires in the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon during the drought period. There was also a police operation accompanied by the media that ended with a kidnapper shot by a sniper on the Rio-Niterói bridge.

September was marked by the massive exposure of the death of the girl Agatha in Rio de Janeiro by a stray bullet.

October was marked by social and political upheavals with violent protests in Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia and Colombia and the violent news reached 25%.

In November, reports of violent political protests continued to be in evidence and the death of presenter Gugu Liberato.

December, despite Christmas and the end-of-year festivities, was a month of violent news above average (28% against 21% of the annual average) because of facts such as the deaths in Paraisópolis after police operation, attacks against indigenous people and many robberies news.

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