Brazil hungry for good news during Covid-19 pandemic

Brazil is in the middle of what could well become the most deadly epidemic of the country’s history. Deaths have surpassed 6,000 and are set to continue their vertiginous climb over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, key figures of the Brazilian government — including President Jair Bolsonaro — have chosen to bury their heads in the sand. Government Secretary Luiz Eduardo Ramos complained that the press coverage in Brazil during the pandemic has been overly negative, pleading for journalists to print “positive news.”

“On the morning news it’s coffins, bodies; at lunchtime, it’s coffins again. On the evening news it’s coffins, bodies, and numbers of dead people,” he griped.

While this may sound rich coming from a member of a government which has done little to combat the spread of the virus, led by a president who actively encourages public gatherings and urges people to break social isolation rules, the fact is there is a global yearning for some morsels of positive news within the chaos. Stories of brave recoveries of Covid-19 patients, breakthrough treatments, selfless acts of charity, and demonstrations of social solidarity have been shared widely across social media and have made major newsrooms reflect on the apocalyptic tone of some of their content.

A ‘light at the end of the tunnel’

In Brazil, a group of...