30/11/2023

Webinar discusses progress and challenges in science journalism.

The progress and challenges of science journalism in Brazil were some of the topics discussed among the winners of the Fridays edition of the IMPA Journalism Award, in the webinar that aired on IMPA's YouTube channel this Wednesday (29). Bernardo Esteves (Piauí), Catalina Leite (O Povo) and Isabela Moreira (Revista Galileu), winners in the Science Communication category, spoke with two of the award's judges, Marcelo Viana, general director of IMPA, and Raphael Gomide, coordinator of the institute's Press Office.

The award winners highlighted that the creation of postgraduate courses, the closer relationship between scientists and journalists, and the growing appreciation of the field have been fundamental points in securing more and more space in the media. In this edition, the three winning reports of the competition addressed prehistoric periods, archaeology, and paleontology. The Director-General of IMPA reinforced how fundamental journalism is for communicating science. “May the IMPA Journalism Prize contribute to making scientific journalism increasingly common in the media. In particular, we are very pleased with the quality of the articles we received,” said Marcelo Viana.

First place winner in Science Communication with the report“The Return of Ubirajara” , Bernardo Esteves, from Piauí magazine, recounted details about the smuggling of the Ubirajara jubatus fossil to Germany in 1995. Discovered in the Chapada do Araripe region, where it lived 110 million years ago, the holotype was only returned to Brazil this year, after a campaign launched on social media by Brazilian paleontologists. It was the first time that the Germans agreed to return a specimen. Ubirajara was the first non-avian dinosaur species found with preserved feathers in Latin America.

“This report attempts to present a concise overview of this very important episode for Brazilian science. It was the first time that a foreign country, in this case Germany, returned a fossil that had been smuggled out of Brazil. This is not a new phenomenon; researchers have been complaining about it since 1990, but the tide is turning. We are seeing a decolonial wind in the world of science, in the world of museums, and the story of the return of Ubirajara captures this moment,” comments Esteves.

The journalist further explained that the campaign for the repatriation of the fossil began in 2020, after the publication of a scientific article about Ubirajara. According to Esteves, the Covid-19 pandemic helped to increase attention to the issue.

“This was a debate that was very much restricted to the academic sphere and, suddenly, due to a series of factors, including the fact that we are in a pandemic, with many people avoiding crowds and many people working from home, this suddenly allowed attention to be broadened to include everyone outside the world of science. The subject went beyond the boundaries of science and academia,” he assessed.

In addition to the repatriation of the fossil, the campaign had other results, such as the removal of the scientific article from the internet.

Catalina Leite, who won second place with the " Special Archaeological Traces " report published in the newspaper O Povo, explained that the research for the story began with a trip during Carnival to Serra da Capivara – a place with the earliest records of human occupation in South America. The excursion undertaken by the journalist and photographer was not intended for journalistic purposes by the other members of the group. However, Catalina says that everyone contributed, in some way, to the final result.

“It was the first time I traveled for a story and asked the fewest questions. I listened to people, paid attention to the points that made them most curious, and that helped in building this report. If I had gone with questions in my head, I believe it wouldn't have turned out so well,” Catalina assessed.

The Archaeological Traces Special consists of three episodes and begins by explaining the emergence of the mountain range in the region and highlighting what this landscape was like before humans. The work also addresses how archaeological sites contribute socially, culturally, and economically to the cities that make up the Serra – which is an environmental protection unit.

“Not long ago, people had to study abroad to do archaeological research. Now, there’s the first archaeology college in São Raimundo Nonato (PI) [near Serra da Capivara, one of the country’s main archaeological sites]. Furthermore, they’ve determined that guides must be residents, but they need to complete a technical course or pursue a university degree. There’s an organized system in place to guarantee income for those who live there.”

Isabela Moreira, who came in third place with her report " The Woman of the Past," published in Galileu Magazine, discussed the representation of women in prehistory. The journalist detailed her work based on the book "Lady Sapiens," which argued for the existence of gender equality and even physical similarities between men and women during that period.

“In maternity wards, for example, women would go to work with babies in baskets. One of the important points of the report is that archaeology began to invest more in the role of women in prehistory when women entered this field. That is, when they started doing archaeology. It was really cool to be able to come into contact with these stories and demystify stereotypes through recent studies, carried out in the last ten years.”

Isabela took the opportunity to highlight the importance of the role of women journalists.

"I've had situations in my career where I suggested a story about women to a male editor, and he responded that the proposal wasn't relevant, while a female editor offered encouragement and highlighted it," the journalist emphasized.

At the close of the webinar, Raphael Gomide emphasized the purpose of the award. “The IMPA Journalism Award aims, in addition to stimulating the production of excellent science reporting, to value journalists and the production of reports outside the South and Southeast regions. We focus on diversity and excellence in all areas.”

The meeting with the winners of the Mathematics category is scheduled for Friday (1st). The webinar will bring together Bruno Vaio (Superinteressante) , Rafael Garcia (O Globo) and Bruno Romani (O Estado de S.Paulo), first, second and third places in the Fridays edition of the IMPA Journalism Award. The meeting will also be broadcast on IMPA's YouTube channel.