Credibilidade no jornalismo independente: uma análise do ethos discursivo da Agência Pública

Abstract

Marked by a context of paradigmatic transformations in journalism (CHARRON; DE BONVILLE, 2016), economic and credibility crises (CHRISTOFOLETTI, 2019a), as well as by the multiplication of independent initiatives in the digital environment (FIGARO, 2018; FERNANDES, 2019), the discussion around credibility and independence remains one of the most central topics in journalism studies. However, research on credibility and independence often focuses on traditional media (BENETTI; HAGEN, 2010; LISBOA, 2012; OLIVEIRA, 2012), without taking into account how journalistic initiatives outside of traditional journalism approach credibility. In Brazil, Pública – Investigative Journalism Agency, founded online in 2011, is the first non-profit in the country and currently presents one of the most consolidated national experiences of independent journalism. Drawing on a broad literature review, we discuss notions and meanings in the context of alternative and independent journalism (ATTON; HAMILTON, 2008; DOWNING, 2002, 2008; PERUZZO, 2009; KARPPINEN; MOE, 2016; FORDE, 2011) and articulate different perspectives on credibility contained in national and international scholarship (BERGER, 1996; PATRÍCIO, 1999; LISBOA, 2012; SERRA, 2006b; BLÖBAUM, 2014; USHER, 2017; ZAHAY et al.., 2020). Our theoretical and methodological approach are part of the Critical Discourse Analysis framework, from which we draw the concepts of communication contract (CHARAUDEAU, 2012) and discursive ethos (MAINGUENEAU, 2006), aiming at understanding how Pública approaches credibility in its identity and, with regards to Pública’s character as independent journalism, whether its credibility markers are different from those found in traditional media. Our corpus consists of 113 institutional texts that the agency published between 2011 and 2019, selected through the method of diachronic focus (MOURA, 2009). Among this study’s results, we highlight a proposed systematization of independent and alternative journalism’s characteristics with Pública as a starting point, such as autonomy, innovation, transparency, proximity and complementarity. We have also observed a discursive ethos grounded on a female perspective, independent, collaborative, engaged and transparent, which we regard as credibility markers that try to differentiate themselves from traditional journalism, in particular in its financial and editorial aspects, as well as in its forms of relating to the public. At the same time, they also converge with the already more established journalistic ethos through its deontological values, professional authority and its defense of democracy.