To connect regional media outlets in the Brazilian Amazon for co-creating and disseminating socio-environmental content produced within the Amazonian territory, and to strengthen Amazonian journalism.
With this purpose, the Citizen Network InfoAmazonia is a pilot project aimed at impacting journalism produced “about” and “from” Amazon, supporting the exchange between communication outlets in Amazonian states and circulating high-quality content.
We operate in collaboration with regional media to spread impactful stories, bringing local narratives to global issues concerning the Amazon. In doing so, we enhance the visibility of these media outlets, supporting the dissemination of content produced jointly with InfoAmazonia.
Why focus (and value) local journalism?
In 2021, the News Atlas study reported 1,106 media outlets in Brazil’s Northern region, where most of the Amazon is located, making it the region with the highest number of municipalities lacking any media outlets. Coverage of socio-environmental issues in this part of Brazil is also limited: according to the Mapa Vivo de Mídias da Amazônia survey conducted in 2022 as part of the Citizen Network, 282 outlets focus on these themes.
The region’s specific challenges pose additional hurdles for journalistic coverage. Producing content in the Amazon can be particularly costly due to long distances, accessibility issues, and risks for reporters and interviewees who challenge local interests.
This landscape serves as motivation for creating the Citizen Network InfoAmazonia, which innovates by proposing collaborative partnerships among media covering the Amazon, fostering exchanges, and building initiatives to support the growth of regional outlets.
Project Phases
To strengthen Amazonian journalism, we began by assessing the ecosystem and mapping existing media outlets covering socio-environmental topics, resulting in the launch of the Mapa Vivo de Mídias da Amazônia in 2023.
Subsequently, in 2023, we selected five Amazonian media outlets to experiment with networked production methods to understand the potential and challenges of this dynamic.
In 2024, the project entered a new phase, inviting more outlets to join the Network, totaling 25 journalistic initiatives from eight Amazonian states. To institutionalize and encourage collaboration in content production, the Citizen Network InfoAmazonia began offering free training workshops to its members, covering topics such as sustainability and innovation.
Additionally, we launched the Institutional and Editorial Strengthening Program of the Citizen Network InfoAmazonia, through which four network outlets were selected to receive financial support, training, and mentorship over seven months, and collaborate on journalistic content creation.
Amazônia’s Media Outlets Map
The starting point for the InfoAmazonia Citizen Network project was a mapping initiative that gathered data on communication outlets from the nine Brazilian Amazon states, focusing on socio-environmental themes. Between February and October 2022, 282 media outlets were identified and can be viewed and categorized by state or media type.
In addition to listing media outlets, we qualitatively analyzed content produced by representative outlets in the journalistic ecosystem of five states: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, and Pará. For this analysis, we reviewed reports published in 2021 and interviewed researchers, activists, communicators, and journalists from the region.
It’s also noted that only two out of every ten media outlets in the Brazilian Amazon have sections dedicated to socio-environmental news, and these outlets are concentrated in major urban centers of each state.
The Citizen Network
With 25 member outlets, the network forms a community of journalism initiatives across different localities within the Brazilian Amazon. In addition to content collaboration and distribution, it serves as a space for exchange and learning, where journalists can share experiences, challenges, and knowledge.
To foster a fruitful and positive environment, InfoAmazonia encourages dialogue, offers exclusive opportunities for the group, and hosts workshops on topics of interest to its members.
If you lead a socio-environmental journalism outlet in the Amazon and would like to join the network, please email [email protected].
Institutional and Editorial Strengthening Program
In March 2024, the initiative selected four network outlets to receive training and mentorship over seven months, aimed at enhancing their sustainability and institutional development. The selection was made through an open call with 22 applicants, resulting in the selection of Amazônia Vox, O Vocativo, Portal Assobiar, and Varadouro. Topics covered included fundraising, management, processes, innovation, coverage safety, among others. These outlets also received editorial mentoring and collaborated on journalistic reports with InfoAmazonia.
Content Production
In the 2023 pilot program, the partnership between InfoAmazonia and five regional outlets led to the production of 52 pieces of content, including articles, podcast episodes, and adaptations for social media dissemination. The production emphasized:
- Providing global context while highlighting local perspectives, showcasing experts, characters, and stories from Amazonian states.
- Highlighting the history and contributions of Amazonian media, with reports focusing on local media outlets.
- Co-creating and distributing content, managed from idea to final edit by the InfoAmazonia team or partner organizations supported by them, with the aim of republication across various media.
- Strengthening key causes common to network participants, such as combating misinformation, understanding the role of traditional communities in conservation, democratizing public information, and promoting humanitarian values related to environmental issues, among others.
Over nearly a year, from November 2022 to August 2023, we worked with five media outlets to test networked work dynamics and evaluate the potential and challenges of this approach. These outlets were initially identified in the Mapa Vivo de Mídias da Amazônia and include O Vocativo (based in Manaus, AM), Carta Amazônia (Belém, PA), Tapajós de Fato (Santarém, PA), Agência Tambor (São Luís, MA), and the Communication Agency of the Federal University of Amapá / Mapinguari Institute (Macapá, AP).
In addition to content production, we maintained mechanisms for ongoing evaluation and exchange among network partners.
The produced content includes articles, podcast episodes, and exclusive social media materials, some of which were created in collaboration with the five network partners. Portions of this material were published by the aforementioned partners and more than 25 other communication outlets across Brazil, either spontaneously or at the invitation of InfoAmazonia for republication.