Approximations and Distancing. Disaster Victims in Brumadinho: A Engenharia de um Crime and Tragédia em Mariana

Abstract

In this article, we discuss two books that deal with catastrophes that occurred in Brazil recently: Tragédia em Mariana (Tragedy in Mariana) by Cristina Serra (Record, 2018) and Brumadinho: A Engenharia de um Crime (Brumadinho: The Engineering of a Crime) by Lucas Ragazzi and Murilo Rocha (Letramento, 2021). Although these works share similarities in formal and thematic aspects, we understand that they indicate different modes of journalistic approach to the world, with distinct ethical implications, particularly regarding how the victims of these catastrophes emerge in the reports. We consider that journalistic characters have a double existence: inside and outside the text. Furthermore, it is an ethical responsibility to reflect on how they are constituted, considering possible connections between one and the other. We propose, therefore, to discuss the modes of journalistic approach to such events from three articulated, analytical dimensions, using the two works. On the topic of “Indications of Listening and Authorial Presence”, we focused on how the authors checked the information in their books, listened to the victims or investigated other catastrophes’ records. In “Characters With(out) a Plot”, we discuss who they are, whose stories are told in these books, how it is done, and possible effects. In “Project and Paratexts”, we address the intentions declared by each author-reporter. We also examine whether or not they explore a book’s potential as to the specific aspect of character development. Finally, we compared the approaches of other reporters to the representations of their characters to reflect on how each author-reporter of the works we analysed faces the catastrophe. We also examined what kind of journalistic record their postures reflect.