Analysis of South American, European and Asian online news media coverage of indigenous peoples affected by the Belo Monte dam

Articles, MÍDIA, CULTURA E TECNOLOGIAS DIGITAIS • Intercom, Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Comun. 44 (1) • Jan-Apr 2021 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-5844202115 copy

Analysis of South American, European and Asian online news media coverage of indigenous peoples affected by the Belo Monte dam

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

With the first repercussions of the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, indigenous peoples started a continuous claim making against the project. The press gave attention to both the progress of the plant’s construction and the manifestations of the Brazilian indigenous peoples in refusal of the plant. This research aimed to investigate the visibility and representation of these peoples on news websites of greater circulation in Brazil and 12 other countries. The sample consisted of 54 newspaper articles published between 2005 and 2017. Data were analyzed through Bardin’s Content Analysis (1977) and the results revealed that indigenous peoples are described as “invaders” and “less able” in the newspapers. Foreign newspapers gave more voice to indigenous peoples, for them to express their stance against the Belo Monte dam project, than Brazilian newspapers, while the latter prioritized the government’s discourse and political interests.

Keywords
Social representations; Brazilian Amazon; Content analysis; Belo Monte; Indigenous peoples

Authorship

Renata da Cruz Paes E-mail: contact.renatapaes@gmail.com.

(Universidade do Estado do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais. Belém – PA, Brasil)Universidade do Estado do ParáBrasilBelém, PA, Brasil(Universidade do Estado do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais. Belém – PA, Brasil)

Renata da Cruz Paes Journalist, Master in Environmental Sciences from the State University of Pará (UEPA). She worked as a press officer at the State University of Pará (UEPA), and has published journalistic articles in magazines and newspapers in Belém (PA) on themes related to environment and science.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1230-2490

Priscila Sanjuan de Medeiros Sarmento E-mail: priscilasanjuanbio@yahoo.com.br.

(Instituto Tecnológico Vale Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Belém – PA, Brasil).Instituto Tecnológico Vale Desenvolvimento SustentávelBrasilBelém, PA, Brasil(Instituto Tecnológico Vale Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Belém – PA, Brasil).

Priscilla Sanjuan de Medeiros Sarmento PhD in Environmental Sciences from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). She has experience in ecology and human ecology. She was awarded a fellowship from the National Postdoctoral Program (PNPD) in the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences at the State University of Pará (2017-2018), and during the year 2019 carried out studies on the recovery of areas degraded after mining. She is currently a collaborating researcher on projects developed by researchers from the Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará, the State University of Pará, and the Vale Technological Institute for Sustainable Development.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5001-9573

Altem Nascimento Pontes E-mail: altempontes@hotmail.com.

Altem Nascimento Bridges PhD in Sciences, in Physics, from the State University of Campinas. He is currently the coordinator of the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences at the State University of Pará (UEPA). He is an associate professor II at the Federal University of Pará and Adjunct Professor IV at the State University of Pará. His research is focused on interdisciplinary studies and research involving science, technology, innovation, education, culture, health and/or environment. Another line of interest is the environmental and ecological modeling of Amazonian ecosystems.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9001-4603

Renata da Cruz Paes

Journalist, Master in Environmental Sciences from the State University of Pará (UEPA). She worked as a press officer at the State University of Pará (UEPA), and has published journalistic articles in magazines and newspapers in Belém (PA) on themes related to environment and science.

E-mail: contact.renatapaes@gmail.com.

Priscilla Sanjuan de Medeiros Sarmento

PhD in Environmental Sciences from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). She has experience in ecology and human ecology. She was awarded a fellowship from the National Postdoctoral Program (PNPD) in the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences at the State University of Pará (2017-2018), and during the year 2019 carried out studies on the recovery of areas degraded after mining. She is currently a collaborating researcher on projects developed by researchers from the Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará, the State University of Pará, and the Vale Technological Institute for Sustainable Development.

E-mail: priscilasanjuanbio@yahoo.com.br.

Altem Nascimento Bridges

PhD in Sciences, in Physics, from the State University of Campinas. He is currently the coordinator of the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences at the State University of Pará (UEPA). He is an associate professor II at the Federal University of Pará and Adjunct Professor IV at the State University of Pará. His research is focused on interdisciplinary studies and research involving science, technology, innovation, education, culture, health and/or environment. Another line of interest is the environmental and ecological modeling of Amazonian ecosystems.

E-mail: altempontes@hotmail.com.

SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

(Universidade do Estado do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais. Belém – PA, Brasil)(Universidade do Estado do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais. Belém – PA, Brasil)(Universidade do Estado do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais. Belém – PA, Brasil)

(Instituto Tecnológico Vale Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Belém – PA, Brasil).(Instituto Tecnológico Vale Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Belém – PA, Brasil).(Instituto Tecnológico Vale Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Belém – PA, Brasil).

Figures | Tables

Figures (6)
Tables (6)

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Figure 1
Terms used by newspapers to refer to indigenous peoples

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Figure 2
Authors of the newspaper articles

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Figure 3
Sections of publication of the newspaper articles

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Figure 4
Places of the investigations that generated the newspaper articles

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Figure 5
Image of a newspaper article about indigenous peoples in The Guardian, April 22, 2016.

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Figure 6
Image of a newspaper article about indigenous peoples in Folha de S.Paulo.

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Table 1
Sources present in the articles of the 15 newspapers analyzed

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Table 2
Sources present in the newspaper articles of the 15 newspapers analyzed.

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Table 3
Positive aspects of the Belo Monte dam presented in the analyzed newspapers

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Table 3.1
Positive aspects of the Belo Monte dam presented in the analyzed newspapers.

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Table 4
Negative aspects of the Belo Monte dam presented in the analyzed newspapers

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Table 4.1
Negative aspects of the Belo Monte dam presented in the analyzed newspapers.

Figure 1 Terms used by newspapers to refer to indigenous peoples

Source: field search, 2018.

Figure 2 Authors of the newspaper articles

Source: field research, 2018.

Figure 3 Sections of publication of the newspaper articles

Source: field research, 2018.

Figure 4 Places of the investigations that generated the newspaper articles

Source: field research, 2018.

Figure 5 Image of a newspaper article about indigenous peoples in The Guardian, April 22, 2016.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/22/brazil-amazon-dam-project-suspended-indigenous-munduruku-sao-luiz-do-tapajos. Accessed on: Sep. 9, 2018.

Figure 6 Image of a newspaper article about indigenous peoples in Folha de S.Paulo.

Source: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mercado/2010/04/7/722632-indios-preparam-invasao-de-area-da-usina-de-belo-monte.shtml. . Accessed on: Sep. 9, 2018.

Table 1 Sources present in the articles of the 15 newspapers analyzed

EL: El Espectador; EM: El Mundo; EP: El País; ET: El Tiempo; FSP - Folha de S.Paulo; JN: Jornal de Notícias; LN: La Nación; LF: Le Figaro; LeM: Le Monde; OG: O Globo; PD: People’s Daily; S.Z - Süddeutsche Zeitung; T.N.Y.T - The New York Times; T.S.T - The Sunday Times (Part 1).

	Sources	EL	EM	EP	ET	FSP	JN
	Indigenous peoples	2	5	2	1	9	0
	Social movements	3	6	6	0	6	0
	Government	3	3	4	0	3	0
	Judicial Branch	0	0	3	0	I	4
	Norte Energia	0	0	4	0	0	0
	Scientists	0	2	0	0	1	0
	Eletronorte/eletrobrás	0	0	0	0	3	0
	American celebrities	0	2	0	0	1	0
	Funai	0	0	0	0	0	1
	Riverside people	1	0	0	0	0	0
	Public security	0	0	0	0	2	0
	Brazilian press	0	0	0	0	0	1
	Ibama\|	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Individual Total	9	18	19	1	24	6

Source: field research, 2018.

Note: Government*: Ministry of Mines and Energy, Ministry of the Environment, National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), Dilma and Lula; Social Movements**: NGOs, activists, organized civil societies, environmentalists; American celebrities***: James Cameron and English singer Sting; Public security****: Federal Highway Police, Federal Police; Scientists*****: researchers, teachers, specialists; Judicial Branch******: Court of Justice of the State of Pará (TJE/Pa), Federal Justice, Federal Public Ministry (FPM).

Table 2 Sources present in the newspaper articles of the 15 newspapers analyzed.

EL: El Espectador; EM: El Mundo; EP: El País; ET: El Tiempo; FSP - Folha de S.Paulo; JN: Jornal de Notícias; LN: La Nación; LF: Le Figaro; LeM: Le Monde; OG: O Globo; PD: People’s Daily; S.Z - Süddeutsche Zeitung; T.N.Y.T - The New York Times; T.S.T - The Sunday Times (Part 2).

	Sources	LN	LF	LM	OG	PD	S.Z	TG	T.N.Y.T	T.S.T
	Indigenous peoples	0	1	3	0	1	3	8	2	0
	Social movements	1	0	3	0	0	0	7	4	0
	Government	0	0	2	1	1	2	5	3	0
	Judicial Branch.	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	4	1
	Norte Energia	0	0	2	2	0	1	3	1	0
	Scientists	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
	Eletronorte/eletrobrás	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	American celebrities	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
	Funai	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
	Riverside people	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
	Public security	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	Brazilian press	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Ibama	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
	Individual Total	1	2	11	5	3	6	33	17	1

Source: field research, 2018.

Note: Government*: Ministry of Mines and Energy, Ministry of the Environment, National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), Dilma and Lula; Social Movements**: NGOs, activists, organized civil societies, environmentalists; American celebrities***: James Cameron and English singer Sting; Public security****: Federal Highway Police, Federal Police; Scientists*****: researchers, teachers, specialists; Judicial Branch******: Court of Justice of the State of Pará (TJE/Pa), Federal Justice, Federal Public Ministry (FPM).

Table 3 Positive aspects of the Belo Monte dam presented in the analyzed newspapers

EE: El Espectador; EM: El Mundo; EP: El País; FSP: Folha de S.Paulo; LeF: Le Figaro; LeM: Le Monde; SZ: Süddeutsche Zeitung; TG: The Guardian; TNYT: The New York Times; TST: The Sunday Times (Part 1).

	Positive aspects	EE	EM	EP	FSP	LeF
	Power generation	2	1	1	1	1
	Construction of a hospital/houses/schools	0	0	5	0	0
	Energy project of Brazil	1	1	0	0	0
	Employment	0	1	0	1	0
	Quality of life	0	2	0	0	0
	Cheap energy	0	1	0	0	0
	Preservation of indigenous areas	0	1	0	0	0
	Individual total	3	7	6	2	1

Source: field research, 2018.

Table 3.1 Positive aspects of the Belo Monte dam presented in the analyzed newspapers.

EE: El Espectador; EM: El Mundo; EP: El País; FSP: Folha de S.Paulo; LeF: Le Figaro; LeM: Le Monde; SZ: Süddeutsche Zeitung; TG: The Guardian; TNYT: The New York Times; TST: The Sunday Times (Part 2).

	Positive aspects	LeM	SZ	TG	TNYT	TST
	Power generation	1	1	1	1	1
	Construction of a hospital/houses/schools	1	0	0	1	0
	Energy project of Brazil	0	0	2	0	0
	Employment	0	0	0	1	0
	Quality of life	1	0	0	0	0
	Cheap energy	0	0	0	0	0
	Preservation of indigenous areas	0	0	0	0	0
	Individual total	3	1	3	3	1

Source: field research, 2018. (Note: Construction*: houses, hospital, schools).

Table 4 Negative aspects of the Belo Monte dam presented in the analyzed newspapers

EE: El Espectador; EM: El Mundo; EP: El País; FSP: Folha de S.Paulo; LeF: Le Figaro; LeM: Le Monde; OG: O Globo; PD: People’s Daily; SZ: Süddeutsche Zeitung; TG: The Guardian; TNYT: The New York Times; TST: The Sunday Times (Part 1).

	Negative aspects	EE	EM	EP	FSP	LeF	LeM
	Displacement*	4	4	2	0	0	2
	Flooding	4	3	4	2	0	1
	Disappearance of species from rivers	0	1	0	2	0	0
	Deforestation	0	1	1	1	1	0
	Lack of dialogue	3	0	0	0	0	0
	Environmental impacts**	2	2	0	1	0	0
	Murders/violence	0	3	1	0	0	0
	Social Impacts***	0	2	0	1	0	1
	Diseases	0	0	1	0	0	0
	Population swelling	0	0	1	0	0	0
	Labor abuses	2	0	0	0	0	0
	Sacred customs	1	1	0	0	0	0
	Psychological disorders	0	0	1	0	0	0
	Absence of sanitation	0	0	1	0	0	0
	Unemployment	0	0	0	0	1	0
	Temperature rise	0	0	0	1	0	0
	Changes in the Xingu River	0	1	0	0	0	0
	Individual total	16	18	12	8	1	4

Source: field research, 2018.

(Note: Displacement* refers relocation of people from their homes due to floods. Environmental impacts** and social impacts*** are environmental and social problems arising from the Belo Monte dam but which are not specified. These two categories refer to a generalized approach of the problems).

Table 4.1 Negative aspects of the Belo Monte dam presented in the analyzed newspapers.

EE: El Espectador; EM: El Mundo; EP: El País; FSP: Folha de S.Paulo; LeF: Le Figaro; LeM: Le Monde; OG: O Globo; PD: People’s Daily; SZ: Süddeutsche Zeitung; TG: The Guardian; TNYT: The New York Times; TST: The Sunday Times (Part 2).

	Negative aspects	OG	PD	SZ	TG	TNYT	TST
	Displacement*	1	0	0	3	1	1
	Flooding	0	1	2	0	0	0
	Disappearance of species from rivers	0	0	1	2	2	0
	Deforestation	0	0	0	2	0	0
	Lack of dialogue	0	0	1	2	0	0
	Environmental impacts**	0	0	0	1	0	0
	Murders/violence	0	0	0	1	0	0
	Social Impacts***	0	0	0	1	0	0
	Diseases	0	0	0	2	0	0
	Population swelling	0	0	0	2	0	0
	Labor abuses	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Sacred customs	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Psychological disorders	0	0	0	1	0	0
	Absence of sanitation	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Unemployment	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Temperature rise	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Changes in the Xingu River	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Individual total	1	1	4	17	3	1

Source: field research, 2018.

(Note: Displacement* refers relocation of people from their homes due to floods. Environmental impacts** and social impacts*** are environmental and social problems arising from the Belo Monte dam but which are not specified. These two categories refer to a generalized approach of the problems).

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Analysis of South American, European and Asian online news media coverage of indigenous peoples affected by the Belo Monte dam

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[1] Renata da Cruz Paes

Journalist, Master in Environmental Sciences from the State University of Pará (UEPA). She worked as a press officer at the State University of Pará (UEPA), and has published journalistic articles in magazines and newspapers in Belém (PA) on themes related to environment and science.