"Being where the news happens makes a huge difference"

Silas Avila Jr. is a US-based foreign correspondent from Brazil representing the Rio de Janeiro-based daily newspaper "A Voz da Cidade". In addition to UN reporting, he also covers international politics. His special reports have covered the last three General Assemblies of the UN, the North American elections, and U.S.-Brazil relations.

What is the best advantage a foreign journalist has when reporting on American news?

With the advancement of communication and technologies, and globalization, the importance of international publishing in the news is growing. Furthermore, the intensification of international conflicts and different nations' interests has significantly impacted foreign matters. In this context, the international correspondent's profile, function, and role in the journalistic process, from the search for sources to the editing of reports, can produce exclusive content for the vehicle that you represent. Being an international correspondent in the USA allows looking at the entire forest and not just the trees.

Being an international correspondent in the US and coming from Brazil, what have you learned over the years covering US news?

The role of the international correspondent is to help inform people's awareness of the world. As a journalist, it is necessary to build the image of a country for readers. What story do you want to tell in addition to this day-to-day buried in the news? Following the path of his uncle, Marco Polo (1254-1324) crossed Asia through Mongolia. Putting himself in the service of Emperor Kublai-Khan and, upon returning to Europe, he resolved to narrate his adventures in work entitled Marco Polo's Travels, which would become an immediate success. It was published, republished, copied, and forged, Marco Polo inaugurated a new genre of reporting, that of travels and adventures, which has lasted until today. There is an attitude that I learned over the years as a foreign correspondent: "It's better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission."

As a foreign correspondent in America, what has been the biggest disappointment, and what have you found most exciting about your work?

During the Trump presidency, I felt the challenge of reporting to the world when the government puts children in cages at the U.S.-Mexico border or when the president makes racist comments. Of course, sometimes I feel exhausted and sad, especially about how President Trump was undermining the press constantly; that was a difficult period to live through. The unfortunate part for me, a Brazilian journalist, is watching a similar attitude of the Brazilian president towards the media.

Trump thinks he is the most intelligent person globally, the most beautiful in the world, and has no empathy for people. But it is impossible to deny that he is a great communicator. The Brazilian President Bolsonaro even tries to imitate him, but he can't. Their lack of empathy and respect for human beings caught my attention.

Silas Avila Jr.

The coverage of the lunch for the heads of state at the United Nations resulted in an exclusive interview with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, about the controversies involving Brazil and France about the Amazon rain forest. Being in a room at the same time as hundreds of heads of state is a surreal experience. You don't know where you are going; first, the diversity of paths you can look for the material is so great that it leaves you stunned.

The number one priority is building trust with your resources and creating credibility as a foreign correspondent for your audience. What challenges did you face at the beginning? How difficult was that for you?

In every single story, every journalist must show why they deserve more trust than dozens or even hundreds of others with the same source. We are aware that people have very high levels of suspicion about the media generally. Rightly or wrongly, the public does not trust us, and we must try to show that we are professional in the way we do our job. This credibility paradox is indeed a core dilemma that many journalists face as they arrive abroad. To be successful, anyone starting a new position with little previous experience or confident contacts in each field needs to be seen as credible before they have had the opportunity to build expertise from the ground up. It puts a new spin on the idea of "hitting the ground running." With the credibility paradox, there's no ground to run on. You need to have already covered the ground before even having started.

My goal was to build a deep and varied network of trusted colleagues who could provide me with ongoing network, advice, and feedback as I was progressing with my career. I participate in class organization. I invite coworkers to lunch and get a feel for how to connect with them within the culture. The key, though, is to work hard at getting to know as many people as you can on an even more personal level. These contacts and connections can be critical mentors, sounding boards for your ideas, and potential advocates for you and your work. Demonstrate to them your motivation, commitment, and relevant expertise, and when possible, find ways you can be of service to them and help them with their work.

Expertise isn't created in a vacuum, and you won't see yourself as a crucial part of the organization until you prove yourself to be one. But by developing the confidence to leverage the tools, assets, and capabilities that you already have, you can overcome the credibility paradox and jump-start the process.

Which story from the ones you covered as a foreign journalist has the most impact on you?

The United Nations General Assembly initiated actions – political, economic, humanitarian, social, and legal – which have benefitted the lives of millions of people throughout the world. I was thrilled to cover the last three meetings of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. I was working with journalists from Argentina, Italy, France, Brazil, Georgia, Ukraine, Egypt, Iran, and India, to name a few. We exchanged ideas and shared stories. I was able to form strong ties because our struggles as reporters in the field are the same back home.

While I'm at UN Headquarters in New York City, we often have a chance to meet personally with General Secretary Antonio Gutteres, ask him questions, and chat about my home country's issues. It's always a fantastic experience.

Apart from these experiences, I witnessed the zeal and spirit of the United Nations General Assembly. I got a chance to exclusively interview different heads of state or country representatives and participate in the annual sessions followed by press conferences. Apart from this, each day is always filled with new experiences, and you can use many different journalistic practices, the workings of the UN, and how they can help us understand issues in our own countries.

What do Americans not know about Brazil, and what stories do the American media not cover about the Brazilian situation?

Beautiful women, string bikinis, carnival every day to a jungle backdrop – these are just some of the stereotypes about Brazil. However, in a nation of over 200 million people, it is hard to paint with one brush.

It never ceases to amaze me how little people know about the other most populous country in the Western Hemisphere. Even among dedicated international news readers, few people know much more than Brazil's economic boom last decade and the World Soccer Cup.

And of course, the average person in the US, who doesn't keep up with current international affairs, is an entirely different story. They are unlikely to know more than that Brazil is South of the Border, where the people probably speak Spanish. Brazilians who travel abroad are reminded too often of this. But I must admit I found myself shocked.

The Amazon rainforest swallows up the northwest of Brazil before extending into Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and several other South American countries. Nearly two-thirds of the rainforest is in Brazil. The Amazon plays a vital role in tourism and supply. None of the central, northeast, and southern parts of Brazil have proximity to the Amazon. In fact, from Sao Paulo to Manaus – the most accessible entrance into the forest – the distance is about 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers), or a four-hour flight.

All of this can be a bit humbling for those who make a living trying to tell the story of Latin America in the English language and sometimes even take risks to do so. It has been easy to meet people that don't even know newspapers have international news or people stationed abroad. Hearing things like this became normal to me.

In the US, it seems no one knows or cares.

Are there any aspects of your work that make your foreign correspondent work unique?

Correspondents differ from special envoys because of their permanence. While correspondents reside in another country, sometimes for years, envoys travel abroad to cover a specific event - armed conflict, the Olympics, or a tsunami, for example - and have a date to return. I must explain the political culture of the United States to people in Brazil, and it has always been fascinating. In my opinion, an international correspondent has the beautiful mission of translating the world for the reader.

As a foreign journalist in the United States, what do you get that you wouldn't get if you worked for the media in your country?

As a journalist, if you haven't lived in a country you're writing about, you tend to fall back on general assumptions — or return to what seems most logical.

Foreign media that don't have the eye of an international correspondent on-site tend to treat US politics at its extremes. I've always wanted to look in the middle, bring the average American's view, and bring out the complexities and inequalities of American society.

Being where the news happens makes a huge difference. In general terms, the correspondent has more extensive involvement with the information than the reporter in Brazil.