17th Abraji Congress registers record of speakers and moderators

Main picture: Marco Pinto/Abraji

The 17th International Congress of Investigative Journalism set a record for panelists. Organized since 2005 by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji), the event brought together 260 speakers and moderators. The 2022 edition took place from August 3 to 7, 2022, in a mixed format - two days were held online and free of charge, and three days happened in-person in São Paulo under paid subscriptions.

In 2019 – the latest full in-person version – 187 speakers and moderators participated in the programming. For the congresses of 2020 and 2021 – held remotely and free of charge due to the covid-19 pandemic – Abraji invited 105 and 210 panelists among speakers, moderators, and instructors of training sessions and workshops.

Preliminary data gathered by the organization about the 2022 edition show that more than 900 people attended the three days of the in-person event at FAAP (Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation) in São Paulo. This figure include guests, participants, and members of support and organization teams.

Until last Friday (August 19, 2022), amost 4.000 people had enrolled in the online format with 26 activities and 89 speakers. Sessions are still open, and their videos are available by September 7, 2022. To register, click here. On this page, you can also access the full schedule. Meanwhile, this section answers the main questions related to the event (Portuguese only).

There was also a record of participation on the 4th Data Sunday. With 14 activities, 2022's Data Sunday had 36 speakers and 300 participants, including those from support and organization teams. Last year, the online event gathered 30 speakers. In 2019, the last in-person event before the pandemic, 80 attendees participated in the first Data Sunday. Until August 12, 2022, the three online sessions of the IX Investigative Journalism Research Seminar surpassed the 1,200 views mark.

The Congress ended this year's edition with 28 foreign guests in both formats, coming from Russia, Ukraine, Norway, France, the United States, Colombia, Peru, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Mexico, discounting a few last-hour cancellations. 

Inclusion

Abraji will disclose the final numbers of the event in September 2022. Comparative data are complex because, by 2019, there was no data collection for inclusion indicators, such as self-declared questions on race. Then, the two online editions made it possible for journalists from all regions of Brazil to participate in the Congress.

For the 17ª edition, Abraji has partnered to bring journalists from other regions of the country to São Paulo. With the support of Transparency International - Brazil, it selected 10 journalists from Amazônia Legal (Brazil's Legal Amazon). They participated in the Congress free of charge and had their airline tickets and lodging expenses covered. Moreover, the diplomatic representation of the United States in Brazil (Consulates and Embassy in Brasilia) chose 10 Indigenous and Black professionals to attend the in-person sessions, granting them a scholarship for food, tickets, and lodging.

As for content, the 17th Congress held a session to discuss transpeople journalism for the first time. Journalists Bemfica de Oliva, Caê Vasconcelos, and Sanara Santos shared personal and professional thoughts and learnings on how the press can be a great ally in the fight against transphobia in Brazil. In addition, five other activities discussed gender, race, and regional issues in both online and in-person events.

From left to righ: Bemfica de Oliva, Gabi Coelho, Caê Vasconcelos, and Sanara Santos. Photo: Victória Ribeiro/Abraji

For Cristina Zahar, executive secretary of Abraji, organizing a more diverse Congress benefits the whole ecosystem. "Having speakers and participants from the Black and Indigenous communities and those from various regions of the country enriches the content and expands the exchanges among all participants," she said. Zahar added that, for the first time, a Black and independent media outlet, Alma Preta, had a booth in the sponsor's area to share their expertise on racial issues.

The 17ª Congress brought together 144 organizations, including national and foreign vehicles, independent journalism initiatives, civil society and public transparency organizations, companies, projects, and educational institutions. In the last in-person edition (2019), there were 123 entities.                                            

"We sought the balance of guests during the Congress. We brought to the audience from brand new journalistic organizations, such as Sargento Perifa, from the state of Pernambuco, to seasoned professionals who found outstanding subjects in the country's main outlets and did an extraordinary job of public management scrutiny," says the President of Abraji, Katia Brembatti. 

Abraji's Supporters and Sponsors

The 17th International Congress of Investigative Journalism is carried out by Abraji and the School of Journalism of the FAAP University.

The event was sponsored by Google News Initiative, Meta, Luminate, Grupo Globo, U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil, Tiktok, Itaú, Alma Preta, ARTIGO 19, CNN Brasil, Folha de S. Paulo, Poder 360, Lupa, Metrópoles, O Estado de S. Paulo, and the Trust Project.

Agência Eko, the Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasting (Abert), the Digital Journalism Association (Ajor), the National Association of Newspapers (ANJ), the National Association of Magazines (ANER), FCB Brasil, Forum on the Right to Access Public Information, Instituto Palavra Aberta, Jornalistas&Cia, Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, Portal Imprensa, Institute for the Development of Journalism (Projor), Oboré, Textual Comunicação, Transparency International - Brazil, and UNESCO provided institutional support. GloboNews, RBS Group, piauí magazine, CBN radio, and SBT News provided media support. 

Google News Initiative, Meta, Luminate, Itaú, CNN Brasil, and O Estado de S. Paulo also sponsored the 4th Data Sunday.

Coverage

For the 13th consecutive year, the official news coverage of the 17th International Congress of Investigative Journalism was carried out by students, newly trained professionals, and journalists who are members of Oboré's Redação Laboratorial do Repórter do Futuro. They worked under the coordination of the Professional Orientation Council and the Project's coordinating center. The initiative has the institutional support of Abraji, the Institute for Research, Training, and Dissemination in Public and Social Policies (IPFD), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – Montevideo Workshop. The lab newsroom has trained more than 500 students to date.

Abraji and Other Journalism Events

After nearly two decades, the Abraji Congress has consolidated itself as a prominent event in the global media and journalism meetings calendar. Click here to learn more.