Look, she stuck her hand in a hornet's nest and got hurt.
By labeling internet users who criticize the publication as insects or robots, Abril's magazine is the target of a massive protest on Twitter; this arrogance alienates readers and shows a lack of preparedness to deal with image crises on social media.
247 - Don't expect any kind of self-criticism from any major media outlet. They're always right. In the history of Brazilian journalism, the only one that acknowledged a factual error and gave it the same prominence on the front page was Correio Braziliense, when it was headed by Ricardo Noblat. At the time, that audacity earned the newspaper an Esso Award.
Veja has been criticized for several weeks by internet users throughout Brazil. It is suffering what experts would define as an image crisis on social media. Something that can happen to any company. Recently, for example, it happened with Claro and its spokesperson Ronaldo, who failed to fulfill a promotion announced at Easter.
In cases like this, consultants recommend humility, caution, and above all, dialogue with internet users. Veja chose to take the opposite approach. It opted for arrogance, presumption, and contempt for internet users. In a report this weekend, it labeled as "insects," "robots," or "trained PT supporters" the internet users who have participated in repeated Twitter campaigns against the publication since the proximity between the magazine and the illegal gambling operator Carlinhos Cachoeira became evident.
The result was devastating. This Saturday, Veja magazine led the trending topics for practically the entire day. It started at noon and was still there, whether with #VejaComMEDO (Veja with FEAR) or #VejaTemMEDO (Veja is AFRAID). Many internet users even changed their profile pictures and started using images of robots or insects. The vast majority are young people, potential readers of Veja, but they are spreading a message that no one can silence and that could be devastating: that Brazil's largest magazine had some kind of association with a criminal scheme. In this vein, more than 25 messages were posted on Twitter.
Image erosion
In a similar case of image crisis, Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch published advertisements in several newspapers, apologizing for the behavior of the tabloid News of the World, which used illegal wiretapping in its reporting. In doing so, he was able to preserve the credibility of his most valuable publication, the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal.
Look, of course, you have every right to dismiss the readers' opinions, attributing them to "criminal manipulation," as defined by blogger Reinaldo Azevedo. But termites, when they begin to gnaw at wood, are rarely noticed. And, when least expected, the entire structure collapses.
In a classic poem, Ascenso Ferreira, from Pernambuco, speaks of "wood that termites cannot eat." Is Veja magazine so solid as to resist the attack of these insects, which are beginning to transform themselves into the true opinion leaders?