9th International Symposium On Online

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9th International Symposium On Online
Journalism--------------------------------------
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• Multimedia and InteractivityA Brazilian
  experience 25,000 politicians and their
  personal assets
• Fernando Rodrigues
• International Nieman Fellow (2007/2008)
  (www.nieman.harvard.edu)
• Abraji (Brazilian Association of Investigative
  Journalism) (www.abraji.org.br)

Avaya Auditorium - ACES (Applied Engineering
Computational Sciences The University of Texas
at Austin April 4, 2008
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Contextualizing the worlds asymmetry ----------
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Internet users in selected regions of the world
crucial differences ------------------------------
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• North America
  Africa
• Europe
  Asia
• South America
  Middle East

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Brazilian background ----------------------------
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• Brazil 186 million inhabitants
• Full democracy (since 1985)
• 42.6 million Internet users (46.3 of S.A.)
• 100 digital elections.
• No Freedom of Information law

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• Growth rate of Brazilians connected to the
  Internet (2000-2007) 752
• But only 22.4 of Brazilians are connected

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Políticos do Brasil ___________________________
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• www.politicosdobrasil.com.br(Politicians from
  Brazil)
• Mixed objectives- build up a database mashup-
  produce good investigative stories.- offer
  readers a tool they can use.- increase the
  newspapers online ventures.- be more
  competitive in the online world.

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Políticos do Brasil----------------------------
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• Politicians from Brazil www.politicosdobrasil.com
  .br
• Project began in 2000 (data collecting).
• Released in 2002
• More than 25,000 politicians listed
• Free search website - entirely open to the
  public
• In 2006, when it was updated for the last time,
  it received more than 1 million visitors on that
  single day.

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multi-task project______________________________
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• Journalism - source of news stories for the
  newspaper Folha de S.Paulo.
• Checking individuals records (no FoIA in Brazil
  neither in major countries in LA)
• Particular interest in election files(assets
  lists of everyone who runs for a public office)
• Extensive use of CAR (Computer Assisted
  Reporting an entrance door to online journalism.
• Comparison of official data with real life
  holding politicians accountable (which generated
  tens of news stories for a variety of newspapers
  around the country)

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Políticos homepage

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presidential candidates - 2006

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Lula winner in 2006

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Lulas assets in 2006

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participatory journalism-------------------------
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• Folha alone could not run the stories on all
  25,000 politicians
• Availability of information online prompted some
  participatory journalism
• Readers started to call reporting inconsistencies
  between politicians with records and real life
• Other newspapers also benefited from using the
  database to check for information that would not
  be available otherwise

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Results------------------------------------------
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• Higher degree of accountability
• Politicians were scrutinized in a way they had
  never been before.
• Several extra-Folha stories were generated by
  competitor news outlets because of the
  Politicos database

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One example of a politician being held
accountable

• Former governor of Maranhão State José Reinaldo
  Tavares (2002-2006) and former vice-governor
  (1998-2002)
• His assets retrieved from Políticos
• In 1998, he had declared R 388,921,10
• In 2002 total assets R 549,270,10
• change from 1998 to 2002 41.2
• But when he was about to leave office

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José Reinaldos records

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Governor official assets in 1998(R 388,921,10)

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Governor official assets in 2002(R 549,270.10)

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Governors summary

• In 2002 total assets R 549,270,10
• In 1998, he had declared R 388,921,10
• change from 1998 to 2002 41.2
• But when he was about to leave office

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Last year in office (2006)bought a penthouse
R 3,000,000.00

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former governor was is currently facing charges
of tax evasion
Big scandal (May 23rd, 2007)

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Another example in Rio, a politician declared
just a regular house, but see what O Globos
reporters found...

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The million dollar club in Rio

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Newspapers regularly publish the evolution of the
assets of every politician

• source O Globo

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Rios Tribuna published a story this January
(2008)

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Thank you
Políticos do Brasil website (www.politicosdobrasi
l.com.br) E-mail frodriguesbsb_at_uol.com.br
and fernando_rodrigues_at_harvard.edu Abraji
(Brazilian Association of Investigative
Journalism) (www.abraji.org.br) Folha de
S.Paulo (www.folha.com.br)