The theme, although not part of the program, engaged the class with impressive frequency. At that time, debating Folha and his new editorial project, implemented by Otavio Frias Filho, corresponded to attempts to unravel the paths of journalism and, therefore, the professional future of many of these university students in communication.
It was 1984, I was taking the journalism course at ECA-USP and I watched Otavio Frias Filho take the editorial direction of the newspaper and implement the Folha project, supported by pillars such as the critical approach. , impartiality and pluralism.
In several journalistic microcosms, like the college student, Folha and his revolutionary changes were sharpening hyperpolarization. There were critics, for example, mocking the idiosyncrasies in the “Writing Manual” and loathing the stratospheric demand for quality, a constant tension that prevailed in the work environment.
In another pole, were concentrated those who were fascinated by the formidable moment of journalism. Joining the Folha Project meant taking part in an effervescent historic initiative. And I, a follower of Folha since childhood, dreamed of the possibility.
My father drove me to primary school by car and on the way I read fragments of Folha. At first, I devoured texts on the Corinthians, one of my passions. Little by little, the alvinegro universe rivaled international news.
As a teenager, I discovered stamp collecting. Through stamps, he traveled the world. A friend of mine also loved to collect and to my admiration he was a journalist for Folha. His name: Julio Abramczyk.
Aware of my journalistic fascination, Abramczyk introduced me to the then editor-in-chief of Folha, Cecilia Zioni, and suggested my texts, for children, on the hobby. A proposal accepted, announced the edition of February 12, 1982: “Jaime Spitzcovsky is a 16 year old boy, very interested in philately, that is to say in collecting stamps and discovering a world of things. new and interesting ”.
I put the stamp albums on the shelf a few months later, quit collaborating with Folha, and went to college.
During these years, Otavio Frias Filho, determined to innovate, filled the newsroom with newcomers to the college, a group sharing tables and computers with experienced professionals, owners of prestige and recognized trajectory.
I was hired as a copywriter at the age of 22. Six months later, Otavio invited me to take over the Exterior Department, now called Mundo. The editor-in-chief’s courage has given me quick access to professional cravings since I was a teenager.
The entry into daily journalism coincided with the initial expansion of the Folha project and also with a unique historical period. The 1980s and 1990s were rich in abysmal changes.
In Brazil, the Diretas-já campaign, the democratic transition, the presidential election of 1989, the Real Plan. On the world stage, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, the disintegration of the USSR, the take-off of China.
For me, from childhood to maturity, Folha fits as a lens to help build my perceptions of the world. I immersed myself, in reading or writing, in various themes, such as Corinthians, stamps, pets (another passion, which I have spoken of for a few years) or geopolitics.
The lens has now reached its centenary. And, vividly, he will always continue to seek new approaches.
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