Jornalistas no front: entre violências, confrontos e resistências na Amazônia Paraense

Abstract

Journalism, as a social institution, constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of democracy, since its fundamental purpose is intrinsically bound to the social mission of informing. Journalistic information promotes citizenship, stimulates public debate, and contributes to the formation of public opinion, becoming a key element in the social construction of reality. The interface between society and information is carried out by journalists, professionals who, when addressing sensitive issues such as inequality, corruption, and human rights violations, are often exposed to risks that endanger their safety, health, freedom, and even their lives. This research investigates violence against seven journalists in the Pará region of the Brazilian Amazon, guided by the central question: how does violence manifest in the professional practice of journalists working in the Amazon? To answer this, the study gathered testimonies from professionals who experienced periods of intensified violence, from the military dictatorship of 1964 to the recent years marked by the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022), including the critical period of the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings reveal that practicing journalism in the Amazon is, in itself, a significant challenge, given the region's territorial complexity, institutional fragility, and the powerful interests involved in its socio-environmental and political conflicts. The interviews show that Amazonian journalism has become, over recent decades, a site of daily resistance in the face of increasing hostility toward media professionals. This represents a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with active journalists in the region, whose narratives help uncover the multiple forms of violence—symbolic, physical, psychological, and institutional—that directly impact the exercise of the profession and, consequently, the very fabric of democracy