Jornalismo ambiental na Amazônia: as fontes de informação na cobertura dos desmatamentos no Jornal O Liberal do Pará

Abstract

This case study proposes to examine how the deforestation in Amazonia was spread out on O Liberal newspaper in Pará in 2008. It starts from the point that news on environment is built from a complex system of relations between journalists and sources of information and that, along the process, official sources prevail. The second step is to identify speeches that better feature the confrontation of opinions on deforestation, and how this reflects in news output. A quantitative analysis revealed that the sources were predominant in politician sectors - represented by Federal Agencies, IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Renewal Resources) and Ministry of Environment, state and municipal government, a total of 65,21%, regarding to all printed published texts (230); followed by scientific, economic and social sources. Social sources, represented by the common citizen, organized civil society, turn up in last place, with 6,52%. A qualitative analysis to observe speeches that better feature the confrontation of opinions achieved that: lumbers, politicians, researchers and social entities consider a lack of agrarian regularization in Amazonia as the main cause of illegal deforestation; and that the control of federal government proceedings, public policy implementation, including the creation of Conservation Units, and reforestation of areas already degraded, represent an advance in the combat to criminal environments. It was evidenced, on the other hand, that scientific and politician sources, defend that the “Stand up Forest” maintenance is the most correct alternative, a whole, of social and environmental point of view, and even economic, to assure the preservation of the forest as the biggest genetic patrimony on the planet, and more than 23 million people who live in the region, mainly, those populations that depend on the extractive for their survival.