Editorial

May 20, 2024 | THE WATER TRAGEDY AND PUBLIC COMMUNICATION

The impact of the water catastrophe that invades Rio Grande do Sul and destroys homes, evicts residents, washes away objects, takes lives and spreads diseases, also impacts our way of thinking about life, the economy, politics and communication . The destruction caused by still waters and those that continue to flow from the clouds have no diversion and those who are not being expelled by them are affected by their lack of taps that have dried up and lights that go out. The hecatomb that unbalances the way of life of thousands of people and animals exposes the responsibility of politicians and triggers the solidarity movement of hundreds of people who work around the clock to rescue and accommodate victims in shelters, where they are fed, receive clothing and receive healthcare. . The entire country participates in the tragedy through communication on the networks, through speeches and images that occupy the screens and the radio.

This succinct description defines a public event configured by dozens of environmental, social, economic and political events that directly and indirectly affect the entire society and public and private institutions. The Rio Grande do Sul catastrophe is a public event in that it activates the republican powers that have some responsibility for the existence and consequences of the tragedy; recovers the certainties of science that mainly explains climate change and geography; designates the conventional media and social networks as responsible for the visibility of the tragedy, and all of this is interconnected by the practice of journalism encouraged to fulfill its role of informing and criticizing, prioritizing the public interest. Since the first movement of the waters, it was possible to observe and participate in the tragedy that spread across all media, uninterruptedly, provoking emotions, knowledge, citizenship actions and political acts throughout the country.

The Gaucho hecatomb is a public event that allows us to reflect on the concept of 'public communication', which encompasses political, governmental, media and journalistic communication, allowing us to identify the configuration of the 'political-communicational paradox' (inherent in the action of actors politicians) and present in political speeches and acts that, simultaneously, announce welcome and solutions to the state and the homeless and invest in their public image. It is possible to identify in the speeches of government leaders and politicians, the political dispute and, consequently, the search for opinions favorable to their action that affect their image and the percentages of (dis)approval. For each political and scientific manifestation, there is the publication of private and distorted information that aims to undermine the political actor in opposition, his party and his action, as well as denying the scientific certainties that explain the tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul. The probable objective of the wicked fakenews at this moment is to prevent the declared enemy from obtaining favorable ratings for its action, even if it is for the benefit of life against death. In the so-called political polarization of the country, hate offices find yet another argument to exercise their perversity, countering the pain of the tragedy and increasing the wounds caused by the waters.

In this sense, the Rio Grande do Sul catastrophe contains complex issues related to public communication by state bodies, media, journalism, scientific institutions, organized society and the market up to the unusual private communication contrary to the public interest (because it lies and distorts information) but is disseminated via social media. One of these issues is journalism which, as in Brumadinho, Mariana, Pantanal, Pandemia and Boate Kiss, for example, recovers its nature, bringing citizens closer to the reality and truth of the event. Sites and networks invest in reporting, in the work of journalists, photographers, radio broadcasters, videographers and change the proacute;proper time and design of the media practicing reporting, in the name of the public interest. The uninterrupted work of radio stations, television and printed media shows the power and importance of these so-called “conventional” media that make it possible to confront the spread of lies and fakenews. At stake, thousands of lives that depend on correct information.

It is also worth pointing out the marketing dimension made possible by a public event of the dimensions of the Rio Grande do Sul catastrophe, when transformed into a ‘political-media spectacle’, which is its ‘partition’. Just as politicians will have their share of responsibility and projection, many companies will associate their charitable acts and donations with their brands, just as radio and TV audience ratings and sponsorships will naturally increase thanks to the journalism carried out. Media, cultural, political and economic celebrities fit into the tragedy and gain visibility, using and contributing in their own way to alleviate the situation of the homeless with donations.

Since April 29th, rains have flooded Rio Grande do Sul and the waters have brought to light the great political-environmental puzzle that is this catastrophe; the perverse real estate speculation that keeps the poorest people away from safe places; the fragility of technology when it comes up against political decisions and shows that equipment maintenance could have reduced the magnitude of the tragedy; the importance of science and the increase in denialism; the detachment and power of “evil networks” over any truth or reality; the expansion of the debate on the commitment of government officials to public communication beyond the exercise of politics and the political-electoral dispute. Amid this landscape, associations, organized society groups, university students, professionals and researchers engaged in the fight for the right to information and against fake news, try to amplify this public debate with the engagement of new groups, in the name of citizenship.

Porto Alegre, May 20, 2024.

Cover image: “Porto Alegre, May 2024”. Photo Eduardo Tavares, journalist and photographer,