The channel’s spending cuts are not expected to impact its policy of expanding racial representation in programming
Sala de TV spoke to professionals from the Globo newsrooms of São Paulo and Rio. Sources say they have the perception that the station’s management has spared black professionals from the wave of layoffs.
The presence of blacks and browns (classification used by the IBGE) in the station’s journalism is still disproportionate to the country’s population. Therefore, there would have been concern not to fire presenters, reporters and commentators who represent this racial majority.
In October 2022, Globo created the diversity board and appointed black executive Samantha Almeida to head the sector. The mission is to expand the presence of black people and produce more stories about Afro-Brazilian history and culture in soap operas, series and other programs.
Department hardest hit by cuts in recent weeks, Journalism seeks to apply the same measure of inclusion to its predominantly white cast. For example, it has become frequent to see two black presenters on the bench of the ‘Jornal Nacional’, as happened on Thursday (6), with Aline Midlej and Marcio Bonfim covering the break for Renata Vasconcellos and William Bonner.
But, in general, the presence of blacks in the television news and other journalistic productions on the Globo channels remains incomprehensibly small. With more than 20 political and economic commentators, GloboNews, on the air since 1996, has only one black woman, Flavia Oliveira. Inaugurated just 3 years ago, CNN Brasil has much greater representation in front of the cameras.
Rumors circulated in a WhatsApp group of journalists from different vehicles on Wednesday that two black journalists from Globo, veterans of political reporting in Brasilia Heraldo Pereira and Zileide Silva, would be on the list of new layoffs for high salaries.
For now, this has not been confirmed. Any dismissals of black icons loved by viewers will certainly generate criticism and possible cancellation of the broadcaster on social networks. On the other hand, safeguarding this profile in the video irritates those who challenge the concept of racial equity in the media, arguing that professionals should be judged only on talent, never on skin color.
Source: Terra
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