Brazil's Election: Correspondents Are International Observers

Many international news outlets covering the Brazilian presidential election in the last few days have described the event—which was held on October 30th—as one of the most important in recent decades. Equally important is the work of the foreign media in its coverage of the topic. Countries were fast to report on the results and the agility of foreign correspondents in describing the recent events that took place in different parts of Brazil was pivotal. 

The world was quick to attest to the smoothness of the Brazilian electoral process. Newsrooms in different countries were also an essential part of this process and they will continue to be in the coming weeks as economic and political challenges emerge in a politically polarized Brazil. Just as Brazilian electoral justice remains attentive to the developments of this election, it also remains attentive to the foreign media whose main role is report and inform.

Correspondents are international observers and, as a spontaneous network, they contribute to the work of an immense group of local journalists and local networks. The impact of foreign headlines and to what extent local editors and reporters can add this information to their own coverage is a daily exercise. This balancing act is a reflection of the beauty of this craft, as we often combine common sense with what we learned in college, regardless of national origin, to generate similar analysis. It would not be untoward to say that it is also common sense that Brazil has a challenging future, a brighter future, ahead.

It is also important to note that the world sees Brazil through the eyes and words of those who describe it. The internal temperature is measured by the content of texts and reports that in minutes go beyond the borders of the nation. That's international journalism: Essential and necessary in every democracy.