Journalism in Italy: interview with Dora Nunes

“Italians tend to say that journalism, in general, is mainly based on controversy”, she says. Photo: courtesy

Dora Nunes is a Brazilian journalist who has been living in Italy since 2016. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the Universidade Federal de Alagoas (Ufal), in Maceió, a specialization degree in Radio Journalism and Television, also from Ufal, and a Master’s degree in Political Sciences from the Fundación Internacional y para Iberoamerica de Administración y Politicas Publicas (FIAPP), in Madrid.
In Brazil, Dora has worked with radio, consultancy and political coverage in the cities of Brasilia, São Paulo and Maceió. After living in England and Spain, she has settled in Italy, where she has worked as the editor of the Integration Now website and newsletter, a project from the Brazilian Embassy in Milan. Currently, she works for the Italian publishing house In Pagina, where she carries out research and translations and collaborates with essays on tourism, art and entertainment along with the magazine Painel Alagoas. Learn more in the interview below.

Enio Moraes Júnior - In Brazil, you have covered politics for over 20 years. Today, you are dealing with topics relating to travel and culture. What has the changing from one sector to another, in different countries, taught you about journalism?

Dora Nunes - Actually, when I decided to come to Italy, it was for a sabbatical year and to rethink my profession, taking a little distance from the political environment. It was very easy to make the transition here, in the “Old World”, which emanates culture and history, towards the preservation of cultural goods and treasures and the production of art that is fully accessible to the population. Not even the pandemic and its restrictions have inhibited my productivity. The lightness of journalistic topics like art, culture and entertainment has only fueled my need to write.

EMJ - What are the most relevant issues for the Italian media? Is it possible to compare them with the current topics in the agenda of the Brazilian press?

DN - Italians tend to say that journalism, in general, is mainly based on controversy. You could even call it “gossip” journalism. But, as in Brazil, politics are at the heart of all coverages, especially in TV broadcasts. National politics come first in terms of relevance, followed by issues regarding the European bloc. The sanitary…