Specialized outlets play vital role in reporting on connectivity, tech innovation and trends
Viasat is joining a Brazilian campaign to support information and technology journalism in the country.
The effort dovetails with Viasat’s role in Brazil. The global communications company, in partnership with Telebras, plans to connect millions of Brazilians throughout the country.
The campaign unites five of the country’s main journalism websites that specialize in telecommunications and information technology – including Digital Convergence, Mobile Time, Tele.Synthesis, Teletime and TI Inside – to draw attention to the importance of their coverage during the coronavirus crisis. It designates its efforts with the hashtag #apoieojornalismoespecializado – “support specialized journalism.”
The economic impacts of the pandemic have been felt in almost every sector, including the media. The financial support generated by the campaign will allow professionals at the five media outlets to stay focused on their daily tasks. It also ensures the outlets will continue to have independent voices that ensure transparency throughout the technology media industry.
The media outlets at the heart of the campaign focus on technology innovations and solutions — connections that have helped mitigate the effects of quarantine. Technology is allowing families and friends to stay connected, bringing information and entertainment into homes so people can stay safe. It’s helped to maintain productivity as people work from home, allowed children to keep up with schoolwork, and given people access to remote health care services.
Journalism focused on technology is essential for professionals, governments and companies to make vital business and personal decisions. And that news can’t continue to flow without the efforts of trained professionals, including editors, reporters, producers, graphic artists, web designers and others.
“Our team has never worked so hard, and the audience has grown significantly,” said Fernando Paiva, editor of Mobile Time. “This reflects how much the information and communications technology sector is moving to help the world overcome this challenging period.”
Bruno Soares Henriques, Viasat’s Brazil commercial director, said the company was eager to join the campaign.
“As we’re working to bring cost-effective, high-quality internet to areas of Brazil that need it most, we’re making critical decisions about the best way to deliver it,” he said. “We rely on information from a variety of sources – including Brazilian media outlets that specialize in the technology sector – to help us make those decisions. So this is a campaign we can absolutely get behind.”
He then highlighted how such a campaign supports the company’s present and future work.
“Our partnerships in Brazil mean we’re committed to the country and its people long term,” he said. “We need reliable news sources, especially those that are deeply familiar with our industry, not only for the work we’re doing in 2020, but in years to come.”
Through its partnership with Telebras, Viasat taps into the Telebras-owned satellite SGDC-1, linking the satellite’s Ka-band capacity with Viasat’s proven ground infrastructure.
That allows the two companies to bring low-cost, scalable broadband services to communities where internet service has been historically unavailable. Working together, they’ve so far connected 2.5 million students whose schools previously had either no internet or substandard internet service, and a variety of other government sites.
In 2020, Viasat plans to launch a residential internet service designed to connect Brazilians who live in the country’s rural and remote areas, places well-suited to satellite internet.