Brazilian journalist, Luciana Barreto (middle) and Dr. Joshua Scacco (left), posing with her program completion certificate. (Photo courtesy of Luciana Barreto)
The College of Arts and Sciences’ (CAS) Center for Sustainable Democracy (CSD) hosted Brazilian journalists at USF for the Journalism & Democracy Immersion Program. This marked an extensive collaborative effort between the center, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil, with the goal of providing an intensive two-week English, journalism, and democracy workshop for its participants.
Dr. Joshua Scacco, associate professor and associate chair in the Department of Communication and director of the CSD, managed the program. He brought the program to fruition by working collaboratively across two campuses with six CAS faculty members and two CAS graduate students.
Scacco developed the program to provide professionalization training in the English language conversation, as well as to raise the journalists’ awareness of current issues within journalism, democracy, and technology. The program included relevant keynote speakers, such as Director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas Rosental Alves from the University of Texas at Austin and USF alumna Evelyn Pérez-Verdía of We Are Más.
“This program was designed to sensitize Brazilian journalists to current issues with journalism and democracy such as artificial intelligence, data presentation and reporting, and fact-checking methodologies. The program also intended to showcase U.S. newsrooms and journalism business models while forming new connections between U.S. and Brazilian journalists,” Scacco explained. “The broader programming, including a community lecture by former Brazilian journalist, and now-Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas director, Rosental Alves from the University of Texas at Austin, provided valuable perspective on these issues to the university and surrounding community.”
A total of 15 journalists traveled from multiple areas in Brazil to participate in a variety of activities throughout the program.
Participants of the Journalism & Democracy Program attended multiple sessions on the
USF campus for two weeks of intensive English-language, conversational workshops on
democracy, technology, news, and information quality. (Photo by Corey Lepak)
Dr. Joshua Scacco presenting to the participants of the Journalism & Democracy Program
held at the University of South Florida. (Photo by Corey Lepak)
“Journalists participated in topical workshops on public opinion, data journalism, information quality and dissemination, press freedom, crisis reporting, and news promotion through podcasting. These workshops sharpened the journalists’ English language skills while providing critical background for how to accomplish ethical, democracy-forward journalism at an important political moment in the Americas,” Scacco said.
Lorenna Rodrigues, a journalist, editor, and columnist from the Estadão newspaper in Brazil, was among the participants.
“I was very excited to be invited and participate in the program, especially because I had covered the recent elections in Brazil and the international aspects surrounding the topic. During the elections, I was in touch with many government agencies and representatives, including ones from the U.S. I noticed a similarity in the politics and the challenges that Brazil and the U.S. went through in recent years. I saw the program as an opportunity to amplify my knowledge in international politics, foreign topics, connect with new sources, and improve my English,” Rodrigues said.
Reflecting on the experience, Rodrigues expressed how the program surpassed her expectations, impressed by the knowledgeable researchers and journalists who presented. She also valued their discussions around crucial topics for journalists, including burnout and mental health advocacy.
Rodrigues noted the effectiveness of the “hands-on” approach during the activities. She mentioned how it challenged her to articulate complex thoughts and ideas in English. Rodrigues observed a noticeable improvement in her conversation skills by the end of the program. Departing the U.S. with a fresh set of knowledge and skills, Rodrigues said she was eager to apply them in her career.
“As a political editor, the topics discussed during the program, such as disinformation, artificial intelligence, and data journalism are extremely important. When I arrived back in Brazil, I immediately started sharing some of the things that I learned with my colleagues and applying them in my job,” Rodrigues said. “An example that comes to mind, is what Dr. Scacco said about surrounding disinformation with good information. I shared that with my team and we’re already applying that in our articles. This skill is especially helpful in a time when it’s inevitable to publish something without someone saying it’s not entirely true.”
Luciana Barreto, a journalist from Brazil, initially approached the program with some hesitancy, as she feared making a mistake while trying to speak the English language. Despite the challenge, she recognized the program’s significance in enhancing her understanding of democracy and her role as a journalist within it.
“The first challenge was, without a doubt, the language barrier. It was very interesting to realize, after a few days, that my biggest fear was making mistakes when speaking English and that's why I didn't try. However, the lessons I learned in this program is something that I will carry with me throughout my life,” Barreto explained. “I was immensely happy with the invitation for this program because the topic is fundamental for our country and for journalism. As journalists, we need to understand the pillars of democracy and, above all, what our role is in this process. In recent years, democracy has been attacked in Brazil and as journalists, we were equally attacked. Facts became unwelcome, and news or commentary about the risks to democracy were criticized. After this experience, I understood more clearly how we can and should work. Dr. Scacco's research and the dimensions of the program were very important, and I left with the feeling that we need to strengthen our knowledge on the subject, especially with regard to the influence of social networks and technologies.”
Brazilian journalist, Lorenna Rodrigues (left) sitting with a colleague (right) on the floor of the Palacio de Planalto (Brazil’s Presidential Palace). The pair were working on a story following the 2023 Brazil Congress Attack. (Photo courtesy of Lorenna Rodrigues)
The collaboration between the CSD and the U.S. Department of State has proven to be impactful in promoting the center’s mission. Scacco continues to strive for more opportunities such as the Journalism & Democracy Immersion Program, to advance sustainable democracy and journalism practices.
“The CSD works to study contemporary issues associated with leadership, information environments, and communities, to see how each reinforces one another to sustain democratic life in Florida, nationally, and internationally. Such programs serve as exchanges of information and necessary global engagement. Industry and research experts, along with practitioners, can share the latest research, data, and tools on journalism and democracy. In turn, the same experts can listen to one another to inform best practices and paths forward for actively shaping democracy on a daily basis. These programs highlight that the work of democracy takes many hands in a society, and it is a practice to be understood and sustained,” Scacco said.
Learn more about the Center for Sustainable Democracy.