The February 2009 issue of Journalism focuses exclusively on journalism in Brazil. Articles include:

Journalistic thinking: Brazil’s modern tradition, by José Marques de Melo 
Abstract – Journalism is a universal phenomenon, but it is anchored innational territories. Starting from this supposition, the author examines the trajectory of journalistic thinking in Brazil and discusses its relationship with hegemonic ideas in specific contexts. He also claims originality and creativity for Brazil’s hybrid tradition and examines the work of journalist/thinkers who assimilated the feelings and aspirations of their countryand their generation, thus establishing a fruitful dialogue between national and foreign traditions.

Journalists and intellectuals in the origins of the Brazilian press (1808-22), by Heci Regina Candiani
Abstract – Brazilian journalism, at its onset in the 19th century, was an activity mainly associated with the colonial aristocracy, the Catholic Church and the intellectual elite. As a result,this heritage led to an almost complete blurring of the distinctionbetween journalists and intellectuals, especially in the early years of the consolidation of the Brazilian journalistic field. Intense debate — not always polite or moderate —was the basis of the newspapers circulating in the country at that time. This tradition still feeds the perception of journalistsas intellectuals to the present time although journalistic activity is becoming increasingly technical. The aim of this article is to dissect the origins of this perception by reviewing the production of two pioneer journalists, Hipólito Joséda Costa and José da Silva Lisboa, who were instrumentalin establishing the argumentative practice of the Brazilianfourth estate.

The past and the future of Brazilian television news, by Beatriz Becker and Celeste González de Bustamante
Abstract – During the second half of the 20th century, television news became one of the most influential forms of mass communicationin Brazil. Despite the emergence of new media and online journalism,television news continues to play a pivotal role in the country’s media landscape and society. Recent political and academic developmentshave created a positive intellectual environment, which has resulted in a new wave of empirical and theoretical research on television journalism. This article seeks to participate in that debate by discussing the past and the future of television news, examining closely the effects of online and digital technologies on the quality of television journalism. By looking at the historyo f television news and peering into the future, the authors offer suggestions on how to improve this significant form of journalism.

Cultural journalism in Brazil: Academic research, visibility, mediation and news values, by Cida Golin and Everton Cardoso 
Abstract – This text aims to give an overview of the contemporary academicresearch on cultural journalism in Brazil in the field of communication.It discusses the insertion of this specialized sector into the artistic and cultural system, whose dynamics include the journalistic work of bringing issues and their analysis to the attention of the public. Finally, based on the constructionist perspective— according to which, news is defined as a context-influenced social construction — it attempts to ascertain what the predominant news values are in contemporary cultural journalism, in order to ponder the possibilities and limitations of journalism in the representation of the artistic and cultural field.

Notes on media, journalism education and news organizations in Brazil, by Sonia Virgínia Moreira and Carla Leal Rodrigues Helal
Abstract – The selection of Brazilian media organizations as part of the Worlds of Journalisms Project, an international comparativestudy of journalism and journalistic routines, offers contemporary data for analysis of that country’s media. This involves historical aspects of national and regional media, media ownership, and key regulation aspects, as well as journalism education. The process of recognizing the best-suited news media organizations,taking into consideration the scope of the research, identified organizations willing to participate in the process, those whichw ere not interested, and, in particular, the difficulty that most news organizations in Brazil have in dealing with academic research concerning their journalistic practices.

Journalism in the age of the information society, technological convergence, and editorial segmentation: Preliminary observations, by Francisco José Castilhos Karam
Abstract – The present work discusses some theoretical, technical, and ethical issues that relate to journalism in the process of technological and digital convergence, and in the new setting of journalism within the information and knowledge society, in which professional routines are modified and in which journalistic information competes in wider markets and in shorter and shorter periods of time with other kinds of information. This work also situates contemporary transformations in the process of emission and reception of messages and data of journalistic value, changes which substantially modify the activity and double the need to reinforce and consolidate a professional culture in the area. In addition, this work involves studies on both informationa bundance and deficiency, which are simultaneous phenomena, and the international tendency of editorial segmentation when facing contemporary social rhythm and the great volume of facts and interpretations that spreads over the world.