Octavio Frias de Oliveira Filho, known as Otávio Frias Filho (7 June 1957 – 21 August 2018), was a Brazilian newspaper editor. He was ''
Folha de S.Paulo
''Folha de S.Paulo'' (sometimes spelled ''Folha de São Paulo''), also known as simply ''Folha'' (, ''Sheet''), is a Brazilian daily newspaper founded in 1921 under the name ''Folha da Noite'' and published in São Paulo by the Folha da Manhã c ...
''s editorial director since 1984, as well as
Grupo Folha
Grupo Folha is the second largest Brazilian media conglomerate, after Grupo Globo. It was founded by Octávio Frias (1912–2007) and led by his son Luiz Frias since 1992.
The group publishes '' Folha de S.Paulo'', the largest circulation pape ...
's editorial director.
Biography
Eldest son of
Octavio Frias de Oliveira Octavio is a Spanish language masculine given name. In the Portuguese language the given name Octavio or Octávio is also found, but in Portuguese the normal spelling is Otávio. It is also used as a surname in the Philippines.
Individuals
* Octa ...
, an entrepreneur who bought the company responsible for Folha in 1962, Frias Filho started to work for the newspaper in 1975, writing editorials and helping out journalist
Cláudio Abramo, who headed the newsroom. He took part in the editorial reforms conducted by Octavio Frias and Abramo during that period, which resulted in opening Folha's pages to political and intellectual figures of all stripes, taking advantage of the political opening then being promoted by the military regime. This pluralistic viewpoint earned respect for Folha and brought it closer to the civilian society.
As newsroom director, Frias Filho systematized and developed the newspaper's experiences during the political opening and
Diretas Já
Diretas Já (, ''Direct (Elections) Now'') was a civil unrest movement which, in 1984, demanded direct presidential elections in Brazil.
Participants of the movement
The movement brought together diverse elements of Brazilian society. Participa ...
periods. A series of documents circulated periodically defined the newspaper's editorial project as part of the so-called Projeto Folha, defined by critical, unbiased and pluralistic news coverage. Those same principles oriented Folha's ''Newsroom Manual'', launched in 1984 and updated on several occasions since. More than a style guide, it serves as a guide to the rules and commitments Folha works under. It was the first publication of its kind to be made available to the general public in Brazil.
The guidelines stipulate that all journalism must be descriptive and accurate, but that themes that cause controversy can admit to more than one viewpoint and require a pluralistic treatment. Folha became known also for its highly diverse selection of columnists. At the same time, checks and balances were instituted through internal controls: the Manual, the daily “Corrections” section adopted in 1991, a rule stating that objections to any article expressed by readers or people mentioned in the news should be printed, and, above all, the
ombudsman position, created in 1989; this position entails job security for its holder, whose aim is to criticize Folha and deal with complaints by readers and people mentioned in the news.
From the midpoint of the Brazilian military rule, Folha has kept a critical stance towards several succeeding administrations (
Ernesto Geisel
Ernesto Beckmann Geisel (, ; 3 August 1907 – 12 September 1996) was a Brazilian Army officer and politician, who was President of Brazil from 1974 to 1979, during the Brazilian military regime.
Early life and family
Ernesto Geisel was born ...
,
João Figueiredo
João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo (; 15 January 1918 – 24 December 1999) was a Brazilian military leader and politician who was the 30th president of Brazil from 1979 to 1985, the last of the military regime that ruled the country follo ...
,
José Sarney
José Sarney de Araújo Costa (; born José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa; 24 April 1930) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and writer who served as 31st president of Brazil from 1985 to 1990. He briefly served as the 20th vice president of ...
,
Fernando Collor
Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello (; born 12 August 1949) is a Brazilian politician who served as the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his impeachment trial by the Brazilian Senate. Coll ...
,
Itamar Franco
Itamar Augusto Cautiero Franco (; 28 June 19302 July 2011) was a Brazilian politician who served as the 33rd president of Brazil from 29 December 1992 to 31 December 1994. Previously, he was the 21st vice president of Brazil from 1990 until the ...
). Otavio Frias Filho was sued, with three of ''Folha''s reporters, by then President Fernando Collor. The newspaper's coverage about the administrations of
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso (; born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC (), is a Brazilian sociologist, professor and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2002. He was the first Brazi ...
(
PSDB
The Brazilian Social Democracy Party ( pt, Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB), also known as the Brazilian Social Democratic Party or the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy,. is a political party in Brazil. As the third largest par ...
) and
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party ...
(
PT) led to accusations of anti-governmental bias in both cases, though the two Presidents belong to rival parties. Beginning with the exposure of a massive fraud on the Ferrovia Norte-Sul (1985), and through the
Mensalão scandal (2005), Folha kept revealing abuses and misrule. In 1991, Frias Filho accepted, on behalf of Folha, the
Maria Moors Cabot Award, granted by
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.
Frias died on 21 August 2018, aged 61, in his hometown of
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
from
pancreatic cancer.
Literature
Frias Filho wrote six theatre plays, three of which were published under the title “Tutankaton” (Editora Iluminuras, 1991), accompanied by essays on culture. Four of those plays were staged in São Paulo: “Típico Romântico” (1992), “Rancor” (1993), “Don Juan” (1995) and “Sonho de Núpcias” (2002).
He wrote “Queda Livre” (Companhia das Letras, 2003), collecting pieces labeled as “participative investigations” - seven essay-length reports on experiences that entail psychological risk. He also wrote children's books - “O Livro da 1ª Vez” (Cosac Naify, 2004) and short stories that were published as part of children's collections “O Livro dos Medos” (1998) and “Vice-versa ao Contrário” (1993), both by Companhia das Letrinhas.
From 1994 to 2004, he wrote a weekly column for Folha's op-ed page. In 2000, 99 of those columns were published in book form under the title “De Ponta Cabeça” (Editora 34). In 2009,
Publifolha
Created in 1995, Publifolha, Grupo Folha's book-publishing division, has released more than 1,000 titles and currently has 600 books in print.
Its first book was “Primeira Página”, a collection of front pages from newspapers '' Folha da Manh ...
launched “Seleção Natural - Ensaios de Cultura e Política”, with 25 of his essays on theater, movies and journalism, written on the previous 25 years.
Works published by Publifolha
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References
External links
''Folha'' - institutional webpage
"Otavio Frias Filho reafirma compromissos editoriais da Folha", video in Portuguese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frias, Otavio Filho
1957 births
2018 deaths
Businesspeople from São Paulo
Brazilian journalists
Male journalists
Otavio
Deaths from pancreatic cancer
Deaths from cancer in São Paulo (state)