Thank you so much, 2012! Welcome, 2013!
For those dedicated to news reporting 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 2012 was unforgettable: the Mensalão trial, the Cachoeira CPI, the expulsion of former Senator Demóstenes, the constant criticism from the media, and an election that crowned the arrival of a new generation to power. It was also the year in which, from Berlin, the city that tore down the wall, we implemented a reform that made 247 more agile and user-friendly. Bring on 2013, as exciting as 2012. We will be here, tirelessly, every day, alongside our readers, who have also become protagonists and co-authors of a new way of doing journalism.
247 - The year 2012 will definitely be missed. Who among us—journalists, bloggers, readers, commentators, and digital activists—could have imagined a period so full of events, disputes, and transformations? At once, Brazil was shaken by the Mensalão trial (or rather, the Criminal Action 470), the CPI of the Cachoeira case, the removal from office of the former "musketeer of ethics," Demóstenes Torres, and a municipal election that was almost dictated by a scandal from seven years ago. In the end, a prophecy written in the pages of 247 was fulfilled. The PT would be "sentenced" to prison and also rewarded with the largest city hall in the country. In this context, who are the winners and losers of 2012? The answer is far less simple than it seems.
For 247, thanks to you, our readers, 2012 was also the year of consolidation as one of the most agile and participatory communication vehicles in the blogosphere. On average, around 2 comments have been posted daily on our pages. The reader comes – and returns – because they know that, no matter the day, they will find here the most relevant events happening in Brazil and the world. And because they also receive information published firsthand, in a courageous and creative way. At 247, as the reader has already noticed, there are no taboos – and what happens behind the scenes in the media is also the object of our permanent radar.
The past year brought us some major scoops. We published the full report on Operation Monte Carlo, reported on the plot by the major media barons to contain the momentum of the Cachoeira Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, and anticipated actions by the Federal Police, such as Operation Durkheim. Furthermore, always with incisiveness, but also good humor, we followed every step of the Mensalão trial and the municipal elections. And amidst an atmosphere of extremely high tension, we maintained pluralism and an open space for commentators of all persuasions. In addition, we gained the invaluable assistance of several new columnists.
2013, according to what people are saying, will be hot. Very hot. According to our predictions, it will be a year of intensified witch hunt against former president Lula, increasing partisanship in the Brazilian mainstream press, and also a deepening of the transformations occurring in global media. We are experiencing several simultaneous changes: from print to online, from paid content to free content, from "copyright" to "copyleft," and from the vertical model of journalism (I write, you read) to the horizontal mode, where everyone participates.
Hopefully the prediction comes true. May 2013 be hot, because we're already boiling over.
And thank you all so much. Happy New Year to everyone!!!!!
Below are some covers of 247 to remind you of what happened in the year that is ending.: