Jornalismo e Mercado: Os novos desafios colocados à formação

Journalism plays a critical role in democracy, contributing both to its protection and enrichment (by producing information that promotes communication between members of the community). This requires further study in order to preserve the values that uphold it.
The new digital technologies have not changed the purpose of journalism: strengthening the potential of public participation in the dynamics of the public sphere, they have increased the possibility of communication. Although the Internet has broken the old ties between traditional journalism and advertising (that financed it), the preservation of the values that underpin journalism should lead us to take full advantage of the communication potential brought by the new technologies.
This work argues that academic training (and the study of journalism) is the way to the reconstruction process of journalism. If courses in journalism /communication are increasingly being held around the world as the main gateway to the profession, academy must ensure a central role in the process, training professionals who may perform a serious commitment to the citizens. The formula is complex: professionals who are strong enough to resist the market constraints which make journalism weaker, and, at the same time, feel able to respond critically to the market demands by innovating and producing alternative market needs. This purpose requires a closer relationship between academy and market, a constructive approach which will not annihilate the identity of any party.