Have you ever noticed that all human activities are related to the use of language? We are all the time involved in various situations in which communication is necessary, so it is natural that there is an infinity of textual genres.
You textual genres they are at the service of verbal interactions, whether oral or written, and for this reason they cannot be considered as invariable textual structures. Although dynamic and countless, they have characteristics that enable their systematization, as they are thematically, stylistic and structurally similar.
Among the various genres, there are journalistic genres, whose social function is of great relevance, given the influence of the media in contemporaneity. When texts from the journalistic universe are studied from the perspective of gender, the understanding of the discursive actions carried out in them is facilitated. In order for you to better understand the discourse adopted by the media, Brasil Escola presents you with some characteristics of the textual reporting genre. Come on?
The report:
► Journalistic genres can be divided into two broad categories: the genres that make up opinionated journalism and the genres that make up informative journalism. In opinionated journalism, the opinions of the author of the text are made explicit; in informative journalism, the texts aim to inform, that is, to narrate events. The report is considered by language scholars as a “problematic” genre, as it does not have a clear definition within the linguistic field;
► Some scholars argue that the report is nothing more than a news expanded, while others believe it is an autonomous genre. Among those who defend the first view, the report goes beyond the limits of the news, but has a direct relationship with the genre. For those who believe that reporting is an autonomous genre, it cannot be related to the news, as its function is not the coverage of a fact, that is, it does not have a news feature;
► The communicative purpose of the report is to inform about an issue, which does not mean that this issue is necessarily related to current issues. For Patrick Charaudeau, a theorist who studies media discourses, “journalistic reporting deals with a social or political phenomenon, trying to explain it”. This social phenomenon that the scholar refers to is related to events produced in the public space and that are of general interest.
► The report features elements that are not typical of the news genre, including data collection, interviews with witnesses and/or experts and a detailed analysis of the facts. Although it values objectivity, an important characteristic of journalistic genres, reporting invariably presents a portrait of the subject from a personal angle, so unlike the news, it is signed by the news reporter. In this genre it is also common to find the resource of polyphony, as there are other voices in it than the reporter, hence the balance between direct and indirect speeches. The main purpose of polyphony is to allow the reporter to approach the topic in a global way and, in this way, exempt themselves from presenting the facts.
Now look at two examples that will help you better understand the differences between reporting and news. Enjoy your reading and good studies!
Report:
Teachers don't talk about education
Master's thesis defended at the University of São Paulo (USP) exposes the lack of voice of educators in the media
By Cinthia Rodrigues
Teachers don't tell anyone what goes on inside the school – at least not to journalists. About 10 years ago, since the NGO Observatório da Educação began to monitor the treatment given by the media to educational policies, the educator has no voice in the reports on the subject. With each new index or proposed public policy, managers speak, historians, economists and academics give their opinion, but educators are not listened to.
The phenomenon, accompanied by Fernanda Campagnucci since 2007, when she was editor of the Observatório da Education, was the subject of a master's degree defended by the journalist in 2014 at the Faculty of Education of the University of São Paulo (USP). The dissertation “The silence of teachers” identifies and analyzes the construction process of this silencing.
The work shows how professionals responsible for teaching people to have skills such as autonomy, critical thinking and capacity for reflection feel restricted not to talk about their profession and routine. They are rare figures not only in educational reporting, but in the debate itself about the steps to be taken to ensure that their performance is good.
“It's a constructed and reiterated silence”, says Fernanda, who interviewed ten professionals from various regions of the city of São Paulo to explain why they don't talk or what happens when they talk to journalists. The study also heard journalists commenting on their failed interview attempts. The conclusion is that educators are not purposely silenced or do not speak out of conviction, but out of an “impregnation in the institutional culture” that includes factors such as working conditions and the self-image of the teacher.
Many cite that press releases are prohibited by law. In fact, until 2009, a remnant of the dictatorship, popularly called the “gag law”, prohibited interviews. A campaign by the observatory itself resulted in a change in legislation, but not in the behavior of teachers. “Even the younger ones, when they enter, learn from the older ones that they shouldn't talk about what happens inside the school. They don't exactly cite the article, at most the status of the server without being specific”, she says.
The interviews also showed that care is learned in practice. Of the ten teachers, two were chosen because they had already spoken in reports and one of them was reprimanded by the principal. “Although the Education departments claim that there is freedom of expression, the work to silence is explicit”, says Fernanda. During state strikes, for example, a dubious statement reinforces that it is not allowed to speak for institutions and ends up repressing any speech. Likewise, when a specific case occurs, such as an episode of violence, a “crisis management” team is sent to “intermediate” the dialogue. As a result, no teacher comments on the subject.
The general devaluation of the educator also ends up subjectively impacting the teacher. “He sees reports that talk about education and he knows it's not like that. Sometimes he lives a conflict between the reality he experiences and the one portrayed, but he ends up being so stigmatized by the media, by society, even within the family that changes its self-image and accepts”, laments the researcher.
Another problem is the precariousness of work. The profession has a large number of temporary professionals, hired without a competitive examination and who are dismissed after a few months. There are also many professors in probationary stage for having been approved less than three years ago. Even those who are effective have little connection with the direction, due to high turnover or the journey that often extends to more than one school. In the State of São Paulo, for example, 26% of teachers teach in two or more establishments. “They don't feel safe enough, they are in a bureaucratic environment and without strong ties, that's why an interview is something so difficult”, explains the master.
According to her research, after a certain point in her career, talking about her own work becomes strange for a teacher who has never taken such an initiative. "The whole situation creates a pre-disposition, not to mention that it becomes permanent throughout the career."
The survey also showed that the cases of teachers portrayed in reports are extreme exceptions, in which the educators appear as heroes despite a bad context or as responsible for the poor quality of education, so isolated. This finding gave rise to the campaign “Neither hero nor guilty, teacher must be valued”, by the same Education Observatory. "These reports further reinforce the view that educators in general are not prepared."
For her, although all sectors of society and especially governments play a leading role in silence, educators and journalists can help break the vicious cycle. On the part of the press, Fernanda says that it is necessary to focus on the lack of freedom of expression. "The media cannot naturalize the silencing of teachers, neither by not looking for them nor in responses such as 'did not respond to the report'. The more the reason why educators are not included in the texts is emphasized, the greater the visibility of this problem”, he says.
At the same time, she believes that the theme should be part of ongoing training within schools and serve as a reflection for educators. “Every effort to show reality influences changes. It is a broad process, which involves the educator's objective and subjective questions about their role. The first step is to become aware”, he concludes.
Available in: letter at school. Accessed on 15/04/15.
News:
São Paulo teachers decide to maintain strike
Work stoppage started in March had its continuity approved at an assembly with 20 thousand people
São Paulo state teachers who have been on strike since March 16 decided to maintain the strike at an assembly held this Friday (10). The strike has lasted 28 days and will continue to be voted on again at the next meeting on April 17th. The meeting will be held on Avenida Paulista. The category also plans a new demonstration for next Wednesday (15).
The march organized by the teachers after yesterday's meeting brought together 20,000 people in the south of São Paulo, around 5:40 pm, according to the Military Police. Teachers claim 75.33% of the salary increase as necessary for salary equalization with professionals in higher education (as determined by the National Education Plan).
In addition, they demand the full application of the floor journey, the reopening of closed classes, the immediate dismemberment of overcrowded classrooms, a new form of hiring temporary teachers, increasing transportation and meal vouchers, transforming the bonus into a salary and water adjustment in all schools for all.
Available in: R7 News.Accessed on 15/04/15
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters