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Fazendo Media: What motived you to write the book "Dossier Tim Lopes - Fantástico/Ibope"?

Mário Augusto Jakobskind: Who, by any chance followed the case Tim Lopes, could perfectly verify how the mechanisms of the single thought works. An official truth was sold by the employer's murdered journalist, and it because the absolute one. The media, in general, except for rare and honourable means of mass communication, accepted that "truth" without questioning it. After researching, checking informations and interviewing people who knew the facts, I came to the conclusion I should divulge such material as much as it might cost. It wouldn't fit neither a newspaper nor a magazine.

Edição # 9 - december, 2003.

So this dossier was created, and it might have happened some time before if, for instance, a journalist's sindicate had joinned me. but there was no political interest, because both the sindicate in Rio de Janeiro and the Journalist's National Federation chose to assume the "global truth". In other words: if I had omitted what I had verified, I wouldn't be in peace with my conscience. I believe the reader, now, knowing some truths that had not been divulged, will have better conditious to judge the case of Tim Lopes.

FM: Does your book show anything new about the journalist Tim Lopes' murderer? I ask because the common version was that Tim, a passionate person for investigative journalism, would have gone there to report a funk party. Does this version proceeds?

MAJ: Look, there has never been doubts about the authors of the murder. What the media never told, for example, is that Tim Lopes had not that funk party scheduled. The reporter was on vacation and was obliged to accomplish a dangerous schedule that should not have been given him, since he had become a public person after he appeared on several news in the "Platinum Blond Venus" (nickname of TV Globo). TV Globo used the argument that he would had gone there to filme the party. The book questions that official truth. It also shows that the versions presented by Globo Network don't resist to the smallest analysis. There are many contradictions in the Globo's employee's testimony. The existence of the party itself is put in question by the inspector Daniel Gomes, theh (police) officer who repported the case, accepted by the Public Department of Justice, but that disagreed the directory of the company. The book shows all those and many more contradictions that should lead the authorities to analyse the case more profoundly. I think if there is any interest that is still possible to be done.

FM: Has the mass media offered you space to divulge this book? Why?

MAJ: Until now, ecept for a few newspapers that published the date of the release, the silence has been absolute. Even with the book exhibition by shop windows of some important book stores in Rio de Janeiro, nearby famous authors' work, possibly for the interest of the theme, the mass media newspapers haven't show their faces. They don't say a word about my book. Why is that? It would be better to ask the cultural editors. Or should we presume such kind of controversy bothers too much?

FM: It seemns the mass media monopoly is disturbing even the book's delivery. Can you talk about that?

MAJ: One of the biggest book's delivery company said it would only confirm the distribution of the Dossier after reading all the cover about the case. It looks at least a weird proceeding. I think that's censorship. I'd rather not to tell it's name, at least by now, to avoid eventual boycott even in book shops, what is not happening. Is it possible the media power when affected gets strong enough to damage a reportage, in its proper meaning, that is, a kind o journalism that can not accept only official versions that set free of responsability exactly those who have it?

FM: The journalist Cristina Guimarães, a TV Globo ex-reporter, was threateaned of death by drugg dealers. In the intereview she gave you she said she is more affraid of TV Globo than of drugg dealers. Do you think she has good reasons for that? And what would those reasons be?

MAJ: The drugg dealers' way of acting is clear. They say all they intend to do. You provide whatever is necessary to protect yourself. In her case, the reporter decided to disappear in order to preserve her life. If she hadn't done that she would probably have Tim's destiny. TV Globo did everything possible to disqualify her, ending her professionaly life. Like I said, even the journalist's representations (the sindicate in Rio de Janeiro and the Journalist's National Federation) accepted the official version, leaving a media professional by herself with no protection. Cristina is out of the market until today, without conditions to supply her needs and return. Don't you think this is a reason to become frightened? How to face this situation? I think this theme should be exhaustively debated by the media professionals who are at work and/or by the students who also intend to be working. All this leads the issue of the single thought and to the uncontrolled run in search of audience. Can a country be under the power of a media giant that rules over its truths and it is just like that? Is it fair to accept "truths" that only interest a certain group?

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