A Look at Media in Brazil

The Presidential Election is coming up. It's all over the T.V., radio, even facebook. It's got everyone talking, even people in... Brazil? That's right, with the access of media around the world it has everyone talking. After interviewing a student here at Lindenwood, who is originally from Brazil, he said that most people from his country are for the Democratic party and really like Barack Obama. Like the United States, media has a huge impact on their country. Barack Obama is using media to reach out to the younger generations by using media. He sends out text messages and puts up advertisments on facebook, he is in a way like a celebrity.

In Brazil, facebook and myspace are well known, but the most popular website is orkut. Orkut is accessible to anyone and was created to help people keep in contact with friends and family. It is a networking website where you can upload pictures, send messages and find people who share the same interests as you.

Gossip Girls, The Hills, One Tree Hill, Entourage, Heroes are all popular in the United States, but in Brazil the shows to watch are Soap Operas. Although American shows like Sex in the City and That 70's Show are popular in Brazil, Beleza Pura and Malhação are two of the most watched television shows.

There are many popular celebrities in the media today. The paparazzi is constantly snapping pictures of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Brad Pitt, and Matthew Mcconaughey. Even celebrities in Brazil are popular here in the United States, like Victoria's Secret models Adriana Lima and Gisele Bundchen.


As for "free press" in Brazil, it is also much like it is here. Anyone can publish anything, but it has to be ethical. A well known scandal that abused "free press" in Brazil was the false publication that Jose Sarney wrote "lies" in his articles. Jose Sarney was the president of Brazil from 1985 to 1990. The state government accused him of lying and sued him. In Brazil it is very important to be respectful and not publish false information. This is a little bit of a difference from here in America, take a look at all of the magazine and newspapers published and most of the rumors about celebrities are not true. We are always reading about who is pregnant now, who had an affair with who, and what couple broke up this week. In the United States scandals and lies attract attention and the public wants to read about it, but in reality it is not morally right. I think that sometimes the media takes it too far, and we need to be more like other countries, such as Brazil, and pay more attention to things that matter.

Everyone has a different view on media and how it affects us as individuals, but it does affect everyone in one way or another. Whether it is opening up the local newspaper, checking the internet for weather, or turning on the news to see the top story of the day, people are constantly keeping up with the media no matter where you are in the world.