ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION - A NATIONAL PRIORITY?

Abstract

Given the role of information and the mass media in the global process of development in contemporary societies, the quantitative and qualitative aspects of environmental information are analysed in the national press with specific reference to the three informative weekly magazines of largest circulation: Isto É; Manchete and Veja. The specific objectives of this study are: (a) to evaluate the importance of environmental information; (b) to compare the focus of the magazines; (c) to identify and classify the themes most frequently treated; (d) to verify the nature and the technological quality of the content. All 39 issues of the three magazines published in the months of July, August and September 1994 were submitted to content analysis and 17 articles on environmental information were identified. Interpretation of the data was based on a theoretical approach to the national policy on environment versus environmental information policy in addition to the relation between environmental information and journalism. In general, the theme was treated in a circunstancial, superficial and incipient form. Manchete was the magazine which gave greatest emphasis to environmental information. The most commonly explored themes were ecological tourism, casmos and Amazonia, with a predominance of national news items.