Crônica: arte do útil ou do fútil ensaio sobre a crônica no jornalismo impresso.

Abstract

The uniqueness of the chronicle in the Brazilian press was the guiding principle of the chapter dedicated to this form of journalistic expression in the thesis for a postdoctoral degree defended in 1983 at the Department of Journalism at the University of São Paulo. The assertion was endorsed there that the chronicle represents a typically Brazilian genre, distinguishing itself from journalistic manifestations labeled in a similar way in other countries. Its concept was also developed, defining it as a “poetic account of reality”, whose personality was woven by writers who worked in the pages of our daily newspapers. It was only in the mid-20th century, when its practice was taken up by journalists of the lineage of Rubem Braga, that the chronicle was legitimized and these journalists became writers precisely because of their consecration as chroniclers. Ten years after the publication of that academic work, the author felt intellectually gratified upon reading the report of the observations made by Professor Wellington Pereira. The master's dissertation, defended at the Federal University of Paraíba, had the chronicle as its object of study and implicitly confirmed the author's hypotheses. It is true that the young master from Paraíba did not undertake an empirical exercise, opting to confront the concepts identified in the essays on the chronicle, including those of the author, with his own experience as editor of the cultural supplement published by a local newspaper. However, his conclusions validated the journalistic conception that the chronicle represents for contemporary readers a space skillfully captured by journalists capable of expressing reflections and criticisms in a relaxed manner. Unfortunately, Wellington Pereira's work did not have the circulation that the academic work had. Published regionally, it was limited to the northeastern public, attracting limited attention. Recently, the author participated in debates and acted as a panelist on postgraduate examination boards, in addition to commenting on papers submitted to conferences in the field of knowledge. Ten years after the publication of that academic work, the author felt intellectually gratified when he read the report of the observations made by Professor Wellington Pereira. The master's dissertation, defended at the Federal University of Paraíba, had the chronicle as its object of study and implicitly confirmed the author's hypotheses. It is true that the young professor from Paraíba did not undertake an exercise of an empirical nature, opting to confront the concepts identified in the essays on the chronicle, including those of the author, with his own experience as editor of the cultural supplement published by a local newspaper. However, his conclusions validated the journalistic conception that the chronicle represents for contemporary readers a space skillfully captured by journalists capable of expressing reflections and criticisms in a pleasant manner. Unfortunately, Wellington Pereira's work did not have the circulation that the academic work had. Published regionally, it was limited to the Northeastern public, attracting limited attention. Recently, the author has participated in debates and acted as a panelist on postgraduate examination boards, as well as a commentator on papers submitted to conferences in the field of knowledge. The lessons contained in this essay can support not only the experimental work of future journalism practitioners enrolled in undergraduate courses, but also serve as a source of inspiration for future researchers in the field of media enrolled in postgraduate courses to carry out similar work, analyzing chronicles in other technological media, such as radio, television or the internet. In this way, it can fill a significant gap in the Brazilian bibliography of journalism, whose studies on journalistic genres continue to prioritize printed publications.