Reporters Work to Protect Endangered Rainforests
2021-04-29
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1Brazil's Rondônia state is home to rainforests and at least three different native groups.
2The area has also faced serious problems like deforestation.
3So when Brazilian reporter Gustavo Faleiros learned of an illegal attempt to take land away from a huge protected area in the state, he used his reporting skills to bring attention to it.
4The Uru-eu-wau-wau Indigenous Reserve in Rondônia is spread over 18,000 square kilometers.
5It holds land used by many of Brazil's native or indigenous people.
6"When I did the stories about the invasion of indigenous land, I felt it was really contributing to bring attention to that specific place," Faleiros said.
7A grant from the Pulitzer Center's Rainforest Journalism Fund (RJF) permitted Faleiros to travel to Rondônia and report.
8The Pulitzer Center is an organization that gives financial support to journalists around the world.
9Faleiros' work was included in an RJF investigation into threats to the environment and indigenous communities in Latin America.
10Faleiros now runs the Pulitzer's Rainforest Investigations Network.
11Reporters from several countries in the network work together to investigate issues like climate change and corruption.
12The Pulitzer Center started RJF in 2018 to aid reporting on the Amazon Basin, the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia.
13The center plans to produce 200 environmental journalism stories through the RJF by 2023.
14Nora Moraga-Lewy is the manager of the RJF.
15She said her group gives journalists the chance to report on stories that would not be written without its help.
16In addition to financial support, reporters are given training and access to a network of other journalists.
17"At the Pulitzer Center we view journalism as a tool for empowering the public to engage in global issues and understand where their community fits in," Moraga-Lewy said.
18Maraga-Lewy said the center's work brings attention to the threats facing rainforests and the forces that influence them over short and long periods of time.
19She added that the reporting seeks to find answers to problems that should have "more attention or support."
20Strengthening local journalism is also an important part of RJF's work.
21The center does its best to find local reporters.
22"Local journalism can help spread important information, share knowledge and build connections within communities" that help bring change, she said.
23However, there are real difficulties with environmental reporting, Faleiros said.
24For example, it can be hard to get community members to talk.
25Falieros said people directly hurt by illegal forestry and mining are the most at risk from speaking to reporters.
26"These are the guys who know a lot about the local context and can point out who is behind" the environmental problems, Faleiros said.
27Although it is very important to speak to local community members, if anyone is identified as a source, they can face serious actions.
28Talking with locals requires being honest with people and understanding why someone might not want to talk.
29Reporting on rainforest destruction often means looking into corruption, organized crime, violence and human rights violations.
30When there is a risk of danger, Faleiros said the Pulitzer Center helps with security.
31He has not been directly threatened himself, but he knows there are dangers.
32"Many of these rainforest countries are the ones with the biggest levels of violence, both for activists and journalists," he said.
33Faleiros believes his reporting has brought good results for local communities.
34While not every project will lead to policy reforms, Faleiros believes RJF's work tells important stories about communities that are suffering.
35Moraga-Lewy said RJF stories have gotten the attention of government officials.
36She said in all three areas were the group works, officials have taken some kind of action "where there had previously been inaction or silence."
37I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Brazil's Rondônia state is home to rainforests and at least three different native groups. The area has also faced serious problems like deforestation. 2So when Brazilian reporter Gustavo Faleiros learned of an illegal attempt to take land away from a huge protected area in the state, he used his reporting skills to bring attention to it. 3The Uru-eu-wau-wau Indigenous Reserve in Rondônia is spread over 18,000 square kilometers. It holds land used by many of Brazil's native or indigenous people. 4"When I did the stories about the invasion of indigenous land, I felt it was really contributing to bring attention to that specific place," Faleiros said. 5A grant from the Pulitzer Center's Rainforest Journalism Fund (RJF) permitted Faleiros to travel to Rondônia and report. The Pulitzer Center is an organization that gives financial support to journalists around the world. Faleiros' work was included in an RJF investigation into threats to the environment and indigenous communities in Latin America. 6Faleiros now runs the Pulitzer's Rainforest Investigations Network. Reporters from several countries in the network work together to investigate issues like climate change and corruption. 7The Pulitzer Center started RJF in 2018 to aid reporting on the Amazon Basin, the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia. The center plans to produce 200 environmental journalism stories through the RJF by 2023. 8Nora Moraga-Lewy is the manager of the RJF. She said her group gives journalists the chance to report on stories that would not be written without its help. In addition to financial support, reporters are given training and access to a network of other journalists. 9"At the Pulitzer Center we view journalism as a tool for empowering the public to engage in global issues and understand where their community fits in," Moraga-Lewy said. 10Maraga-Lewy said the center's work brings attention to the threats facing rainforests and the forces that influence them over short and long periods of time. She added that the reporting seeks to find answers to problems that should have "more attention or support." 11Strengthening local journalism is also an important part of RJF's work. The center does its best to find local reporters. 12"Local journalism can help spread important information, share knowledge and build connections within communities" that help bring change, she said. 13However, there are real difficulties with environmental reporting, Faleiros said. For example, it can be hard to get community members to talk. Falieros said people directly hurt by illegal forestry and mining are the most at risk from speaking to reporters. 14"These are the guys who know a lot about the local context and can point out who is behind" the environmental problems, Faleiros said. Although it is very important to speak to local community members, if anyone is identified as a source, they can face serious actions. Talking with locals requires being honest with people and understanding why someone might not want to talk. 15Reporting on rainforest destruction often means looking into corruption, organized crime, violence and human rights violations. When there is a risk of danger, Faleiros said the Pulitzer Center helps with security. 16He has not been directly threatened himself, but he knows there are dangers. "Many of these rainforest countries are the ones with the biggest levels of violence, both for activists and journalists," he said. 17Faleiros believes his reporting has brought good results for local communities. While not every project will lead to policy reforms, Faleiros believes RJF's work tells important stories about communities that are suffering. 18Moraga-Lewy said RJF stories have gotten the attention of government officials. She said in all three areas were the group works, officials have taken some kind of action "where there had previously been inaction or silence." 19I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 20Jessica Blatt wrote this story for Voice of America. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 21________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23contribute-v. to give (something, such as money, goods, or time) to help a person, group, cause, or organization 24grant-n. an amount of money that is given to someone by a government, a company, etc., to be used for a particular purpose (such as scientific research) 25journalist-n. the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio 26access-n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone 27reserve -n. an area of land where people, animals or plants are given special protection 28empower -v. to give power to (someone) 29engage- v. to get and keep (someone's attention, interest, etc.) 30context-n. the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens 31source-n. someone or something that provides what is wanted or needed