A pioneering and innovative movement brings together media groups from the nine states that compose the Legal Amazon, in an integrated way, in order to interview live and learn about the proposals of the main candidates for the Presidency of the Republic concerning challenges that threaten the region. The initiative, called "Proposals for the Amazon - Round of Interviews with candidates for the Presidency of the Republic" will be launched on September 5, Amazon Day.

The proposal was conceived and articulated by the Liberal Group. Late in July, a meeting was held with representatives of the candidates during which both the order of interviews was drawn and the group of press vehicles that will integrate the initiative was announced.

Along with the Liberal Group, from Pará, the initiative will envolve the Mirante Group, from Maranhão, A Crítica, from Amazonas, Diário da Amazônia, from Rondônia, Gazeta do Cerrado, from Tocantins, Gazeta Digital, from Mato Grosso, Roraima in time and Gazeta do Acre and Diário do Amapá.

At the meeting, the candidates' representatives have also agreed that the interviews will be live and online, always at 12 pm, Brasília time. Each interview will last one hour and will consist of 10 questions: one question for each of the 9 vehicles participating, allowing candidates a five-minute response time.

Another additional  five minutes will be granted to each candidate for their closing remarks, totaling ten speaking opportunities. The questions will cover different topics, such as security, health, education, infrastructure, telecommunications, environmental policy, job creation, among others, always within a scope and targeting at local issues and proposals to the Amazon.

It was also consensually defined that on September 7 – a national holiday – as well as on the weekend, no interview will be held. The following sequence has been established, by random drawing, for the interviews:

The interviews are scheduled to happen always at 12 noon. Simultaneous broadcast on multiplatforms (oliberal.com, Liberal Radio, social networks @oliberal and repercussion in Liberal Amazon, O Liberal and Amazônia Jornal).

“It is essential to know about the proposals for the region we live, from those who candidate for the highest position in the nation, and, just as important, it is to promote this moment during the week in which we celebrate the Amazon Day and through communication means from our region”  - Daniel Nardin, Liberal Group

Initiative intensifies debate on proposals for the region

For the content director of Liberal Group, Daniel Nardin, the initiative is innovative as it provides greater Amazonian protagonism over the discussions held about the region. “It is essential to know about the proposals for the region we live, from those who candidate for the highest position in the nation, and, just as important, it is to promote this moment during the week in which we celebrate the Amazon Day and through communication means from our region, which promote awareness about and experience our daily challenges. We are very happy to reckon on the integration of communication vehicles from other states and representatives of the candidates, who have supported the initiative from the beginning, as they understand the importance of the issue itself and of these discussions being publicized by regional vehicles, allowing our readers, listeners and Internet users the access to ideas and proposals that will impact the lives of all of us”, highlights Nardin.

The content director of the newspaper A Crítica, from Manaus (AM), Aruana Brianezi, recognizes the project as a chance to show the diversity of the Amazon. “I consider this initiative to be historic and very important for the region. Interviewing presidential candidates by bringing together all the regional communication vehicles is a way of saying we are together. Political leaders must understand what the Amazon is and know its multiple challenges”, considered the journalist.

For the coordinator of electronic media at Grupo Mirante, from São Luís (MA), Cíntia Costa, the political debate on proposals for the Amazon region is of great importance for everyone. “This initiative, led by O Liberal, is very important. The political debate on proposals for the Amazon region is extremely relevant for all of us. And being able to represent the state of Maranhão in this project is very gratifying for us, after all, opportunities like this are not always achievable. It will be crucial to hear from candidates on topics such as the fight against environmental and land crimes; encouraging technological innovation and the bioeconomy in the region, in addition to other topics. All of this will be of great value to all of the Amazonian population”, he highlights.

The director of journalism at Gazeta do Acre, Maíra Martinello, is also highly motivated and highlights the importance of Amazonian prominence in this process. “Gazeta do Acre is honored to participate in this innovative project, alongside other vehicles with such credibility in the press in the North region. A unique opportunity to give voice to the demands of the Amazon, sometimes deprived of its priority on the national political agenda, in this very sensitive and challenging moment that Brazil is experiencing”, she comments.

Maju Cotrim, chief editor of Gazeta do Cerrado, a press vehicle for the state of Tocantins, says that the initiative shows the face and strength of professional communication in the region. “The initiative is important and shows the face and communicational strength of the Amazon at this important moment in Brazilian history. The interviews are an opportunity to discuss the demands and assess the candidates' perspectives on this region that cannot be left aside in the government plans”, she highlights.

Information will be monitored by the “Amazônia Check”

From August 16 on, the Liberal Group will monitor and check the information published in statements made by the presidential candidates about the Amazon. The proposal summarizes the “Amazônia Check” project, one of six projects selected from more than 160 candidates in the “Jogo Limpo nas eleições 2022” program [Fair Play in the elections 2022], an initiative by Youtube Brazil and the International Center For Journalists (ICFJ). All six projects approved aim to help fighting misinformation before the elections in Brazil.

The Liberal Group initiative will be monitored by the Comprova Project, led by the Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo (Abraji) [Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism], which will support the training and qualification of the team that will work during the election period.

The project will be officially launched after August 11, when more details will be released. All content created will be published on multiplatforms, with video, audio, photos and text and distributed on different channels, such as Youtube, OLiberal.com, printed versions, radio and social network pages (@oliberal) of the Liberal Group. “One of the biggest challenges of our time is facing misinformation,” said Silvana Bahia, judge and executive codirector of Olabi and coordinator of PretaLab. “Encouraging and empowering the Brazilian media ecosystem by fostering the work of journalists is on the agenda, especially in an election year. Therefore, initiatives such as ‘Jogo Limpo’ are extremely important to society, as they inspire and promote a communication practice based on ethics and citizen values”, she highlighted, when the selected winning projects were announced. 

Liberal Group reinforces space for plurality of ideas

The round of interviews with candidates on the Amazon theme will reinforce the group's open space for debating ideas and opinions. During the first half of 2022, the Liberal group interviewed all pre-candidates, on multiplatforms, broadcasting on the radio, on the Oliberal.com portal, on social media pages and on printed newspapers.

The current candidates were heard and will, again, be the focus of the interviews along with pre-candidates at the time, who have now left the race, such as former minister and former judge Sérgio Moro. The candidates from the tucanos party Eduardo Leite and João Doria were also heard by the Liberal Group, even before the political party sessions that defined Doria as the PSDB's representative in the dispute. However, months later, Doria announced that he was leaving the race.
 

“Always during the election period, our content production pace accelerates even more. Our focus is on looking closely at the regional disputes, but we experienced an excellent repercussion, including praising from readers, good audience on the site and engagement in the networks with the interviews already carried out with the pre-candidates in the national dispute. Therefore, this new round will also be paramount. After all, in addition to the importance of giving space for presidential candidates to present their ideas, having this protagonism played by communication means in our region is a way of valuing the local population, who are routinely acquainted with Liberal Group vehicles”, emphasizes Keila Ferreira, coordinator of the Political and Economics nucleus of the Integrated Office of O Liberal.

Proposals for the Amazon will also enjoy the attention of the international public

In addition to real-time coverage and live broadcast together with eight other media groups in the region, the Liberal Group will also provide content about the interviews for foreign audiences. The Liberal Amazon project, which has multiplatform content in English and Portuguese, will also cover the interviews. Articles and videos will be published in English, as well as a podcast summarizing the main points of the interviews.

Thus, Liberal Amazon will be a channel of content for international interest about the Amazon and the candidates' proposals for the region, publishing statements directly from the candidates. For the executive editor of the Liberal Amazon, journalist Ana Danin, publishing this content in a language that unites the global community is giving the Amazon the journalistic protagonism it deserves.

“Listening to the candidates' proposals and granting them visibility is a way of registering the importance of the Amazon on the political agenda, which will allow our society to have more elements to, in the future, demand the achievement of what has been compromised. As the Amazon is essential to the world, it is always important to inform the international community of the authorities' commitment to the region.”