“Never give up, believe in yourself"
The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents’ member Patrícia Vasconcellos speaks with Foreign Press about journalism in Latin America and creating a documentary during the height of the pandemic.
Vasconcellos is the U.S. correspondent for the Brazilian news network SBT, splitting her time between New York City and Washington D.C., mainly covering politics, economics, and issues related to the White House.
A documentarian, Vasconcellos’ film “Curfew in NYC” about the Black Lives Matter protest in New York after the death of George Floyd, was released this past year.
Here are five key takeaways from Vasconcellos interview:
How Journalism Works in Brazil and Argentina: “The work itself is pretty much the same,” Vasconcellos said.“What defines journalists is to gather news events and translate them to our audience.” From Vasconcellos’ perspective, she believes this aspect works the same in America, Brazil, and Argentina. “What is different is the environment. For example, the difficulty, how easy or not easy it is to reach a source. Are you 100% free to do your work? I’ve never faced any problems in my home country, but I know the difficulties journalists face all around the world.” “I have experience from other countries in Latin America that I’ve covered as a correspondent,” Vasconcellos explained. “In Venezuela, for example, during different years, the rules were not so clear on what we have to do to do our work freely.”
The Importance of U.S. Correspondents: “Everything that happens here impacts the world. Not only my country but South America and Europe,” Vasconcellos said. “The decisions made here impact a lot. The entire world is living through a very tough regarding COVID-19. People from Brazil and other countries face a difficult moment because we don’t have vaccines for everybody. They are waiting for other countries like the United States to give the word about when doses not used here can be sent to those countries in need,” Vasconcellos continued. “That’s the first fact that comes to my mind. We live in a globalized world. Every decision that is made here has a direct impact on public health.”
Difference Between Broadcast and Written Journalism: “Both types of journalism meet, because the purpose is the same -- inform society about what is happening,” Vasconcellos explained. “The difference is the way that it’s done... the shape itself. In television, we have less time to tell the same story that a newspaper has more space to describe and explain. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is to tell, for example, complex stories in 2 minutes. This is a challenge.”
Creating Her Documentary: “I was doing the coverage of the events for the main news program for SBT in Brazil,” Vasconcellos said. “During that time, I didn’t have the idea of doing the documentary… but then after the end of that week when the curfew was suspended, I had a feeling that I had not delivered the whole picture.”
I found that I had a lot of extra footage and interviews that we couldn’t broadcast entirely in Brazil because we had a limited time,” Vasconcellos continued. “I felt I had a commitment to those people I found on the streets in that difficult moment… It was a dangerous moment regarding COVID. The risks were high. It was a matter of commitment. I felt as a journalist to give voice to them in a way that the interviews could be used as they talked to me, not edited.”
Advice for Future Journalists: “Never give up… believe in yourself,” Vasconcellos said. She also advises journalists to reach out to those that inspire them for advice. “I remember when I was younger, and in college, I would look at professionals I admired, and somehow I would try to get in touch with them. Now it’s so much easier… you might reach them using LinkedIn or Twitter, and you might get answers.
Vasconcellos’ documentary “Curfew in NYC” is now available for the public on SBT’s Vimeo page.