Desertos de notícias no estado do Rio de Janeiro: o caso de Mangaratiba

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the existence of a possible “news desert” in a municipality located in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro city. Mangaratiba, one of the three municipalities in the Costa Verde region of the state, alongside Angra dos Reis and Parati, was chosen as the observation area. Mangaratiba falls within the category of small towns with up to 50,000 inhabitants, and due to its proximity to the metropolis, it generated interest for investigation. The main objective of the research was to identify both formal and informal local journalistic sources to determine whether Mangaratiba fits the category identified as an “almost news desert” or “news desert”, referring to places with minimal or no journalistic production. Additionally, the study aimed to a) contextualize the municipality within the broader geographical and social landscape; b) document the cultural and socioeconomic transformations that have occurred in Mangaratiba; c) investigate whether local events in Mangaratiba receive media coverage from neighboring municipalities; d) provide an inventory of local media generated by this research as a resource for public policies and private initiatives aimed at strengthening the municipality’s own news outlets. The study also contributes to the production of knowledge about media reality in the Rio de Janeiro state, integrated into the analyses conducted by the Geographies of Communication Research Group at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). The theoretical foundation of the research draws from communication geographies, particularly concepts related to territory, place, and information flows, complemented by studies on media culture, identity, and the communication industry. Regarding the methodology, this research is a case study supplemented by exploratory research involving document analysis and a field study with questionnaire administration. Among the results obtained, it is noteworthy that Mangaratiba fits the condition of a ‘news desert,’ lacking a formally registered local newspaper, and relies on media coverage from a neighboring city, Itaguaí.