Water crisis in São Paulo: news coverage, public perception and the right to information

Abstract

Based on materials published by different media outlets on the coverage of water crisis which affected the region of São Paulo in 2014 and on the concept of publizistikwissenschaft, this article seeks to evaluate the process of information construction in the public sphere. It appears that major media outlets embraced 'news' frameworks, while smaller and independent media adopted 'interpretative' frameworks. The former emphasized the problem of climate change and issues related to water consumption, while the latter stressed the lack of transparency of the state government and the sanitation company in managing the crisis and, together with social movements, they brought proposals and made demands. We conclude that although there was a process of extensive media coverage and public awareness of the problem of water supply, some aspects were silenced and that this process remained inadequate in terms of accounting for the structural causes involving security and the governance of water.

Social Management in Public Institutions and its Possible Feedback Relationship with Organizational Climate: a Descriptive Review

“…Within the hypothesis constructed in this study, these barriers can function as detractors of the organizational climate, moving the individual away from his sense of social responsibility, effectiveness and belonging in the institution's decision-making process. Martirani and Peres (2016) observed that the analysis of the water crisis in São Paulo also undergoes conflicting communication and with little social control, reporting the socioenvironmental conflicts involving private interests and collective benefits, observed in the divergences between the Brazilian Forest Code itself and the National Water Resources Policy, which defines water as a public good and recommends a decentralized management process, guided by environmental governance, with the participation of public authorities, users and communities, aiming at strengthening the committees, including in the decision-making processes. Silva et al (2016) reported that, although legally ensured, transparency and social control in public health are often not observed in a practical way, and that many public sector contracts with private service providers are not properly presented to interested citizens.…”

Environmental Policy Instruments and Rural Private Property: an Analysis of the Context of the Cantareira System

“…Williamson & Kerekes (2011) stated that informal institutions are powerful in protecting the right to property, even superior power to formal institutions. The research found that there were understandings about the problems of the Cantareira System, especially assimilated during the biggest crisis of the system (2013-2015), reported almost daily in local, regional and national media (Martirani & Peres, 2016). However, these have been limited to make producers aware that the way they deal with natural resources on their properties affects the supply of millions of people.…”

Source Apportionment of Chemical Elements and Their Geochemical Baseline Values in Surface Water of the Parauapebas River Basin, Southeast Amazon, Brazil

“…Assessing water quality has become increasingly concerning and relevant for several river basins, including the southeastern Amazon, Brazil [19][20][21]. The northern region still lacks water quality monitoring and surveillance records [22].…”