Why do I believe in Periódica?
The short answer is: because others believe too. But let me talk a little bit more about Periódica.
I was finishing my Masters in 2019 when I realized that it would not be easy to talk about my research with journalists working in the field. I had spent two years trying to figure out how we, as journalists, can interview someone who has been through a trauma (like refugees, the focus of my research) without retraumatizing the person. In other words: how can we conduct a responsible interview with someone who has suffered or is still in suffering.
That made me think about the enormous gap that exists between journalists who work in news organizations and journalists who endeavor an academic career. Those two complimentary worlds aren’t talking to each other as often as they should be. I wanted to know why, so I talked to a lot of people from both sides.
Some thoughts that came up from people working in news organizations: “I don’t have time to read those academic publications”; “the content is too dense and I struggle with concentration”; “studying is not my priority and when I have some free time I want to use to do other stuff” and so on.
On the researchers side, it was very common to hear things like: “I think journalists can benefit from my research but I don’t know how to reach them to talk about it”; “I am focused on my research and not in publicizing it”; etc.
Besides that, I noticed a problem: both sides acknowledge that having access to the latest academic publications could enrich journalist’s work, but there is a real gap between what is produced by journo-researchers and what journalists consume to improve their knowledge and skills.
That is why Periódica was born: to fill this gap.
So let’s fast forward a bit.
Periódica is a biweekly newsletter made for journalists, researchers and students in the Communications field. In every issue, around 5 academic articles are chosen to be summarized. It can be a paper, a thesis or any publication reflecting on journalistic practice. In every issue, at least one article is focused on gender issues and one talks about race in Journalism. Periódica was launched in August 2020 and now has around 700 subscribers from Brazil and abroad.
When I launched the newsletter I was aware that I would have to learn a lot from a business perspective for Periódica to thrive. You know, we are living in a period of newsletter growth and I didn’t want Periódica to rest in someone’s inbox unread. I knew that I had to be more prepared and that is why I was so excited when Jeremy Caplan reached out to tell me that I was selected to join the first cohort of “Niche Media Entrepreneurs” at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism (CUNY).
In the past 100 days I’ve had the privilege to meet people from all over the world: journalists so talented and so committed to their projects and to serving their audiences the best ways they can. Everyone, in their own particular ways, is trying to solve problems that are going to make journalism stronger. I am positive about that.
I finish the program more skilled and prepared to fly solo and to constantly improve Periódica’s work. As a South American–the only one in the group–I feel extremely honored and privileged to be part of the cohort and to be one of the recipients of a Substack scholarship (which was essential to my enrollment in the program). I will continue to study and, most importantly, I am committed to pass along what I learned in these 100 days to my fellow Brazilians.
As for Periódica, a lot of ideas will be brought to life in 2021. I am not alone: I have subscribers that believe in Periódica as well as teachers, tutor (thanks, Andreas!) and colleagues. I strongly believe one of the skills that journalists must nurture is the eagerness for knowledge. A constant process of learning and sharpening skills is paramount so we can be better journalists. Periódica’s raison d’être is to help with that.
