Investigative Journalism Journalism Investigative (Continued) A committed reporter with a vocation for permanent indignation and a Includes an proposals have been selected, the limitless capacity for investigation, Tim proponents are offered financial analysis of the Lopes was brutally murdered in 2002 Brazilian media’s resources to execute their ideas The case study reveals that the news media is capable of while covering drug trafficking and (travel, research, and other related influencing reality when it works in conditions that enable coverage of the issue child commercial sexual exploitation expenses) and specialized guidance capacity-building on the topic under investigation and provide rings in Rio de Janeiro for the Rede – provided through seminars sufficient time to plan, investigate, and report information. Globo Television Network. Naming conducted prior to the fieldwork an investigative journalism contest and permanent support at a distance Promoted by ANDI in partnership with Childhood Brasil, the after him was not, for ANDI or during the investigative stage. Tim Lopes Contest in Investigative Journalism helps explain CONCURSO TIM LOPES Childhood Brasil, intended as a mere why the Brazilian news media represents – notwithstanding DE INVESTIGAÇÃO JORNALÍSTICA gesture of tribute to the man but as The tangible outcomes of the the challenges that remain to be overcome – a reference on a genuine promise: the promise to Contest – as the case study shows the coverage of commercial sexual exploitation and sexual Contest Lopes Tim The search for and improve strategies – are reflected in the quality of abuse of children. that support in-depth journalism and the reports and their impact offer multiple perspectives on the on the social sphere. They are The pages that follow offer descriptions of investigative contexts surrounding news events and procedures, consideration of ethical questions, statements also revealed in the professional their related protagonists. Just as Tim from journalists, observations by experts in the field of sexual evolution of the participating always did. violence, and a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the journalists, who are deeply affected editorial treatment devoted to the phenomenon. by their direct experiences with the To stimulate quality investigative various dimensions of a crime that journalism on commercial sexual shocks to humanity. In this sense, Preliminary version exploitation and sexual abuse of the statements gathered from the children, the Tim Lopes Contest recipients of the Tim Lopes Award emerged in 2002 with a unique over the course of its four editions characteristic, one that distinguishes are a particularly valued component The Tim Lopes Contest it from other major journalism of this study, which analyzes both A case study on the work of the awards: the projects submitted the positive aspects and challenges Investigative for evaluation require greater related to the Brazilian news media’s news media in confronting sexual qualification of the participating coverage of the issue. Journalism violence against children news professionals, more time and precision in the investigative stage, The Tim Lopes Contest is a concrete ANDI | Childhood Brasil and an increased commitment from example of how civil society media outlets with regard to the key organizations can contribute to good editorial decisions and dissemination journalism. of the completed news reports. Published by Strategic After the most innovative and viable Partnership (Continued) ANDI Childhood Brasil Preliminary version The Tim Lopes Contest Investigative A case study on the work of the news media in confronting sexual Journalism violence against children Published by: Strategic Partnership: Staff ANDI – Brazilian News Agency for Children’s Rights Chairman of the Board of Directors: Oscar Vilhena Vieira Disclaimer: A concern of this text is to employ language that Executive Secretary: Veet Vivarta does not discriminate or establish differences between men Deputy Executive Secretary: Ely Harasawa and women, boys and girls. The generic use of the male gender Director of the Mobilization Center: Carlos Ely form or the neutral terms child and adolescent was an unavoid- SDS – Ed. Boulevard Center – Bloco A – sala 101 able choice in many cases. It is understood, however, that the CEP: 70391-900 – Brasília/DF generic use of the male gender form refers to men and women Tel: +55 (61) 2102-6508 / Fax: +55 (61) 2102-6550 alike and that behind the term child and adolescent are boys Site: www.andi.org.br and girls with faces, lives, stories, hopes, dreams, social inclu- sion, and vested interests. ISBN: 978-85-99118-16-0 I49 Investigative journalism: the Tim Lopes contest: a case study on the work of the news media in confronting sexual violence against children; translation by Harry Shlaudeman / Brazilian News Agency for Children´s Rights; Childhood Brasil. --- Brasília, DF : ANDI, 2008. 144 p. 1. Investigative journalism – Brazil. 2. Sexual violence against childrens. 3. Tim Lopes contest. I. Brazilian News Agency for Children´s Rights. II. Vivarta, Veet (Coord.) CDU: 362.7:070(81) Brasilia, November 2008 Contents 05 Preface Chapter 1 06 Media and Sexual Violence Chapter 2 22 About the Contest Chapter 3 38 The Road to a News Story Chapter 4 66 Risks and Ethical Dilemmas Chapter 5 78 Assessing the Impacts Chapter 6 110 Media Analysis Chapter 7 132 Tim Lopes Contest Award Winners Credits and Acknowledgements Investigative Journalism The Tim Lopes Contest: A case study of the news media’s work in confronting sexual violence against children Published by Support Staff ANDI Isabela Ramos, Jean Matos, Karla Mendes, Léa Cunha, Miriam Pragita, Monalisa Silva, Strategic Partnership Patrezio Ferreira, Pedro Ernesto, Philippe Childhood Brasil Alves, Renata Barbosa and Rilton Pimentel. Editorial Supervision Production Coordinator Veet Vivarta Tainá Frota Text Graphic Design and Layout Luciano Milhomem Viviane Barros Editor Cover Marília Mundim André Nóbrega Collaborator Photographs Geraldinho Vieira ANDI would like to thank the following works and media outlets for the use of their Revision photographers: Albari Rosa (Gazeta do Paulo Henrique de Castro e Faria Povo), Cadu Gomes (Correio Braziliense), Fco Fontenele (O Povo) Tralation to English Harry Shlaudeman * ANDI would like to to extend a spe- Review: Beatrice Allain cial note of thanks Gabriela Goulart, author of Cidadania em Pauta: o Papel Media Analysis dos Movimentos Sociais no Agendamento Railssa Alencar and Diana Barbosa da Violência Sexual contra Crianças e Adolescentes (Citizenship on the Agenda: The Research and Interviews Role of Social Movements in Agenda Setting Rosina Duarte and Sílvio Ferreira of Sexual Violence against Children) Preface Commercial sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, regarded as crimes against humanity, are forms of violence that do not distinguish among social classes nor do they respect territorial or cultural boundaries. Confronting these crimes is a challenging task, for they are shielded by the complicity and collusion of many peo- ple, or hidden behind a veil of family shame. The rise of the Internet over the past two decades has opened new, and ever more daunting, pathways for these activities, transforming what once were acts perpetrated by individu- als or small local groups into a global organized criminal enterprise. Throughout the world, concerted mobilization efforts have been undertaken to raise awareness of these practices. It is a task that requires the active participation of countless social actors and a network of organizations with shared responsibility. Among these actors, the news media exercises a strategic role: first, by helping to lay out the moral, psychological, and socioeconomic complexities of the issue; second, by contributing decisively to ensuring the phenomenon is a priority of the public agenda. Moreover, journalism has the obligation to demand that the various related actors discharge their respective roles in an effective manner. This context, and the effort to promote the news media’s mobilization and qualification, has served as the basis for the nearly decade-old alliance between the Brazilian News Agency for Children’s Rights (Agência de Notícias dos Direitos da Infância – ANDI), a Brazilian NGO operated by professional journal- ists, and Childhood Brasil, founded by Queen Silvia of Sweden, which to date has benefited over 700,000 Brazilians throughout the country. The case study analyzes the evolution and outcomes of one of the alliance’s central initiatives – the Tim Lopes Contest in Investigative Journalism – regarded by the institutions involved in confronting sexual violence and news professionals alike as a highly innovative approach capable of providing support to editorial treatment that extends beyond the reporting of immediate facts. Setting out the quantitative and qualitative advances spurred by the Contest in regard to the coverage devot- ed to the issue, as well as the profound experiences of the award-winning journalists, is, in our view, not only a way to celebrate outcomes and/or recognize the work of Brazilian news organizations but a duty of any entity – including the organizations we represent – that acts in the public interest. Ana Maria Drummond – Executive Director Veet Vivarta – Executive Secretary Childhood Brasil ANDI – Brazilian News Agency for Children’s Rights 1 Media and Sexual Violence Commercial sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children and adolescents