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Citizens' Media in Rio's Favelas Amidst the 2016 Summer Olympic Games

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Citizens' Media in Rio's Favelas Amidst the 2016 Summer Olympic Games CITIZENS’ MEDIA IN RIO’S FAVELAS AMIDST THE 2016 SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTORS ON RIOONWATCH.ORG A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʹI AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN COMMUNICATIONS MAY 2017 By Cynthia M. Arata Thesis Committee: Jenifer Winter, Chairperson Wayne Buente Hanae Kramer Keywords: favelas, urban periphery, citizens’ media Acknowledgements First, thank you to the contributors to RioOnWatch.org, especially the organizers, writers, editors, and translators whose continual efforts are an integral part of extending human rights. Thank you to the community journalists of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro for sharing your stories, making this exploration possible. Thank you to my advisor, Dr. Winter, for guiding me through the processes of researching and writing, and for simply supporting my interest in this topic. It has been an honor and a privilege to have your mentorship for this project. Thank you to my committee members, Dr. Kramer and Dr. Buente, whose council, feedback, and encouragement has been essential to the development of this proposal. Thank you to my friends, Keaton, Lariel, and Tim, who talked with me through my ideas over the course of this work. Your advice, opinions, and companionship are invaluable to me. Thank you to my parents, Jeffrey and Rowena, for your hard work, sacrifices, and unconditional support. I believe that the best way I can thank you for everything you have done for me is by making you proud, which is what I strive to do. I am so grateful to be your daughter and to be an Arata. Last, thank you to my sister, Angela. You have been my role model throughout my life, sis—all of the ways you influence me are positive. Thank you for helping me every step of the way. There is no one I look up to more than you. This work is dedicated to my grandparents and great-grandparents. ii Abstract The purpose of this research is to better understand the effect of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games on the host city, Rio de Janeiro. In particular, this research is focused on the residents of Rio’s favelas and the topics, issues, opinions, and experiences expressed in citizens’ media before, during, and after the Olympics. Citizens’ media has emerged in favela communities as inhabitants have accessed ICTs and the Internet and as Rio has transformed into an Olympic City in the last decade. Using a method of thematic analysis, this review of journalism from the Community Contributors section of RioOnWatch.org, a Rio de Janeiro-based media collective, provides a citizen’s perspective of events taking place in the favelas, which counter traditional media depictions of the urban periphery. In this examination of narratives five predominant themes are identified: (1) portrayals of the favelas in media, (2) concerns regarding public policies and political processes, (3) discontent with urban violence and the UPP program, (4) expressions of culture, and (5) the impact of the Olympics. iii Table of Contents CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................. 4 Favelas ................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Political and spatial exclusion and marginality .................................................................................................. 6 Favelas in media .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Favelas in mainstream media .................................................................................................................................... 8 Favelas in popular media .......................................................................................................................................... 10 Favelas in pre-Olympics-related journalism .................................................................................................... 11 Olympics Hosting Motives .......................................................................................................................... 13 Olympics media interests ......................................................................................................................................... 13 Olympics expectations ............................................................................................................................................... 14 Favela Regeneration and Removal ......................................................................................................... 15 Staging of the Olympic City ...................................................................................................................................... 15 I. Invisibilization ...................................................................................................................................................... 16 (1) Eviction and demolition ................................................................................................................. 16 (2) Building walls ..................................................................................................................................... 16 (3) Visual media manipulation ........................................................................................................... 17 II. Transformation ................................................................................................................................................... 17 (1) Pacification ......................................................................................................................................... 17 (2) Beautification ..................................................................................................................................... 18 (3) Touristic staging ............................................................................................................................... 18 Media Framing ............................................................................................................................................... 19 Official Olympics media and the favelas ............................................................................................................. 20 iv Citizens’ Media ............................................................................................................................................... 23 Accessing ICTs and the Internet ............................................................................................................................ 24 Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch ..................................................................................................................... 25 Research Questions ...................................................................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER 3. METHODS ...................................................................................................................... 27 Sample .............................................................................................................................................................. 27 Data Preparation and Analysis ................................................................................................................. 30 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ..................................................................................... 32 I. Portrayals of the Favelas in Media ....................................................................................................... 32 Critiques of mainstream media .............................................................................................................................. 32 Call for alternative media ......................................................................................................................................... 36 Censorship ................................................................................................................................................................. 40 Positive legacy .......................................................................................................................................................... 42 II. Concerns Regarding Public Policies and Political Processes .................................................... 42 Insufficient public services ...................................................................................................................................... 42 Public health .............................................................................................................................................................. 43 Education .................................................................................................................................................................... 45 Housing issues ..............................................................................................................................................................
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