Alice Ferreira Lannes, Alice Vitória de Oliveira Diogo, and Marcos Vinícius da Silva were selected and awarded at the 18th edition of the Fernando Pacheco Jordão Young Journalist Award, promoted by the Vladimir Herzog Institute (Photo: Courtesy)
The students of the Faculty of Communication (Facom) at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Alice Ferreira Lannes, Alice Vitória de Oliveira Diogo, and Marcos Vinícius da Silva, were selected and awarded at the 18th edition of the Fernando Pacheco Jordão Young Journalist Award, promoted by the Vladimir Herzog Institute. The team developed the documentaryRain and color: who pays the price of housing neglect?Under the guidance of teacher Iluska Maria da Silva Coutinho and the mentorship of journalist Bianca Vasconcellos.
The topic was selected in May, among 110 proposals submitted throughout the country. Following the selection, the students received financial and technical support from the Vladimir Herzog Institute to develop the documentary. The final stage of the award ceremony took place in São Paulo on August 13th and 14th, with the students participating in a public audition and the award ceremony.
The project addresses the impacts of the rains that affected Juiz de Fora in February 2026, with a focus on neighborhoods in the East Region, such as Vitorino Braga, Linhares, Três Moinhos and Parque Burnier. The production investigates the relationship between the climate crisis and social inequalities that make certain groups and territories more affected by extreme events.
Upon learning about the theme of this edition,Brazil and the UN's 2030 Agenda: challenges of sustainable developmentStudents identified a direct relationship with experiences lived in Juiz de Fora during the February floods. Based on their own experiences and the questions left by the tragedy, they decided to investigate how the climate crisis relates to the social inequalities present in the city.
Student Alice Vitória explains that the group perceived a concentration of the most severe impacts in peripheral and historically populated areas by racialized populations (Photo: personal archive)
The student Alice Vitória explains that the group perceived a concentration of the most severe impacts in peripheral and historically populated areas by racialized populations. “We also realized that most of the neighborhoods that were most affected, with the highest number of deaths and displaced people, were peripheral, in areas at risk and historically populated by people of color who still live there,” she says.
The investigation also led the students to observe the increase in rental prices in the city. This situation aroused the attention of the group, which began to investigate the reasons for the phenomenon and to recover the history of the affected neighborhoods. During the research, they realized that those areas were already facing problems related to the floods.
The idea of participating in the award began with a workshop conducted by Professor Iluska Coutinho, in the elective Political Journalism course, taken by Alice Lannes. After the activity, the student spoke with her colleagues and the three decided to develop the theme. In addition to guidance, the professor made available the platforms of the Audiovisual Journalism Nucleus, which coordinates, for the publication of the documentary, a requirement for registration in the award.
Three researchers from UFJF contributed as sources: Flávia Chein, from Economics; Hebe Mattos, from History; and Miguel Felippe, from Geography. According to Alice Vitória, the researchers "were very open in explaining, providing new information, and highlighting things that we intended to include."
The direction of Facom also provided equipment for the recordings. For the student, the support of the faculty's technical team was also important during the recordings. "I want to thank the staff of room 115, they were essential for us to be able to do the capture," she highlights. According to her, the team also helped the group choose the most appropriate equipment for each stage of the capture.
Human Rights and social transformation
For Alice Vitória, the production of the documentary represents a confirmation that students can develop a journalism committed to Human Rights and social transformation. A resident of the East Region, she also relates the work to her own experiences with the impacts of the rains. "It shows that we are capable of doing a journalism that is thought out in terms of Human Rights, that is thought out in terms of social transformation," she says. For her, the production also represents a way to contribute to the place where she grew up: "being able to materialize some pain or indignation also meant a lot."
Alice Lannes highlights the importance of the recognition received. The three students are in their final year of undergraduate studies and had already tried to participate in the award previously. "We worked very hard, but we didn't expect to win. We were very surprised," she says. For her, the award also reinforces the perspective of the future and the valuation of the profession: "it gives a lot of hope for a future where we have a better job perspective and also greater recognition."
Marcos Vinícius attributes the achievement to the path built during his undergraduate studies and the persistence of the group. “I found myself in Journalism and I believe that all the path I took was worth it,” he says. The student also highlights the support received at Facom, especially from the technical team and professors: “It’s impossible not to mention the baggage and support we receive from the Faculty of Communication.” Regarding the documentary, he explains that the intention was to preserve the stories of the people affected: “When you lose a person, it’s not just one life, it’s a mother, a friend, a cousin, and mainly, a story that deserved to be told.”
A screening of the documentary at the university is planned soon, but there is no specific date yet.
The award
The Young Journalist Fernando Pacheco Jordão Award is organized annually by the Vladimir Herzog Institute since 2009 and aims to mobilize journalism students to produce news related to Human Rights. The initiative provides financial and technical support to selected teams to develop the reports, from the development of the theme to the final production.
In 2026, the award had the themeBrazil and the UN's 2030 Agenda: Challenges of Sustainable Development, proposing a reflection on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relate to different local realities.