I am an independent journalist who has always focused on social justice, human rights and environmental issues. I believe and promote journalism as a fundamental tool for a democratic society. Journalists should be watchdogs of the power or powers that be. Good, non-partisan investigative journalism is essential to provide societies with the information they need to decide their future. This is what I believe my country, Brazil, needs - and that's why I founded the first not-for-profit center for investigative journalism in Brazil, Publica (www.apublica.org), an organization directed by women journalists.
I am extremely fond of the Tapajós River, in the Amazon. The Tapajós is a unique river: its waters are light blue, and it hides small sandy islands that only surface when the river is dry, around November. It is home to dozens of traditional fishing communities that still live along the riverside. As part of the "Program for the Acceleration of Growth" of the Brazilian government, 5 dams will be built in the Tapajos river over the next couple of years.
I want the Brazilian people to be taken into consideration when the future of the country is decided; and I want them to have the right to know what goes on in the government and other spheres of power. I want Brazilian people to be treated as the owners of the country and not as children to be tutored by governors. As a young democracy, we need to grow up.
Over the past year I have been a partner of WikiLeaks in Brazil, coordinating the release of the Brazilian US embassy cables that expose abuse of power and lack of transparency by governments. But I started my career in 2001 at the magazine Caros Amigos and since 2005 I have worked as an independent journalist, travelling to many countries on my own initiative to report on candent issues in many platforms: radio, web, print. I have worked with various domestic and international media outlets including: Pacifica Network, PBS (US), the BBC, the Guardian, The Independent (UK), Folha de São Paulo, and Carta Capital (BR). While living in London to take an MA, I was also an assistant producer for investigative English-language documentaries. In Brazil, I have written three books about current-day political assassinations and old-time censorship and repression during the military regime. In 2005, I won the Vladimir Herzog Awards for Human Rights Reporting and in 2011 the Woman Press Award for online reporting. In March this year I co-founded the first not-for-profit center for investigative journalism in Brazil, Publica.
