MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

One of Brazil’s media icons becomes first 100% digital newspaper

Jornal do Brasil celebrates September first its 119th anniversary

Starting Wednesday September 1, 2010, Jornal do Brasil, celebrating its 119th year, will become the first 100% digital newspaper in Brazil.

The decision, the product of a responsible analysis of the future of print media throughout the world, also resulted from a daily survey that JB conducted through newspaper ads and the website jb.com.br.

In the survey, Jornal do Brasil invited readers and internet users to provide their opinion of media preferences and consumer habits - including innovative digital platforms.

Similar to other prestigious communication outlets throughout the world, Jornal do Brasil “is updating the way it interacts with readers, promoting environmentally sustainable practices and continuously making improvements in line with the latest technologies”, said the newspaper in its new presentation.

This helps ensure that its hundred-year old brand and quality content remain available for present and future generations of readers. Thus, JB continues its pioneering path, having in 1995 become the first Brazilian newspaper on the Internet.

“In today's world, the economic and environmental costs of paper are unsustainable and unnecessary. For every day that a newspaper such as JB is not printed on paper, 72 trees are kept from being cut down. Given the greater or lesser number of sections during the week, in a year's time more than 30,000 trees are saved”, said JB.

One Sunday issue uses up of 200 trees that take years to grow and occupy 40,000 square meters of forest. This equals four and a half soccer fields. Using the digital method for a period of one year can save more than 1,200 Maracana-size stadiums of forest.

For a JB issue to be printed on paper, an average of 10,000 litres of water and 40 Mw/hour of energy per day are used. Nature takes six weeks to decompose just one copy of the newspaper printed on paper.

Readers can still print, at their discretion and without wasting paper, whatever part of the newspaper they want from their homes or offices.

In this new phase, JB's digital content will be divided into three areas of concentration: Real Time, Digital JB and Blogosphere, in association with the publisher Sociedade Aberta. JB will be compatible with all digital readers. Its layout on e-paper will automatically adjust to any computer screen.

President Lula da Silva sent its congratulations to the new JB digital format highlighting the innovation spirit of JB and underlining “Brazil needs good newspapers. It does not matter if they are printed or on electronic platforms”.

Congratulations included the following article:

Jornal do Brasil: A new challenge for a trailblazing newspaper

Around for more than a century, Jornal do Brasil has been noted for having a tradition of innovation. After only a few years of being founded, it had the boldness to launch an editorial proposal intended for popular complaints. In the 1950's, it revolutionized Brazilian press with an editorial and graphic overhaul that established a new paradigm, giving new direction to all the newspapers of the day. In the 1970's it was a pioneer in the day-to-day coverage of the labor movement and of the metalworkers' strikes of ABC paulista. And I witnessed this. In the past decade of the last century, it was the first newspaper in the country to publish news on the Internet.

Starting today, JB begins a new phase of daring. It becomes the first of the traditional Brazilian dailies to renounce printed newspaper distribution. It will continue being published digitally, with news accessible on the Internet through paid subscription. It represents a new business plan, focused on a new era of technology and knowledge.

As a pioneer in territory that is still uncharted for Brazilian press, Jornal do Brasil will have a great challenge ahead: finding a format that balances ease-of-use and the portability of the new digital media with the organization and hierarchical order of information and events to be shared by the public in their social relations. A format that can benefit from a lower production cost while at the same time being capable of maintaining and exceeding the level of quality and credibility of the competing newspapers. The major secret of this adventure is encountering the financing formula that is adequate for the new enterprise and, at the same time, establishing a connection with collaborative reader participation, cementing a relationship based on confidence and loyalty.

Print journalism is going through a time of serious uncertainty around the whole world. Academics are watching this experiment closely, as are owners and journalists of innumerable traditional publications in Brazil and abroad. I sincerely hope that Jornal do Brasil is able to find its path and emerge as a world-class publication with great influence on the formation of Brazilian public opinion.

Brazil needs good newspapers. It does not matter if they are printed or on electronic platforms. What is paramount is that they are of good quality and are committed to providing their readers with good information and discussing good ideas.