Some voices resonate in the minds of young women and become role models for their professional choices. In Brazilian journalism, women who have broken barriers and achieved prominence serve as an inspiration to new generations. Those professionals showed us that a woman’s place can be anywhere she puts her mind in!
1. Gloria Maria
It is impossible to discuss Brazilian journalism without mentioning Gloria Maria. Despite her passing, she is still seen as a symbol of representation, courage, and excellence that inspires many women and journalism professionals to dream bigger and not accept limitations based on gender or race.
Gloria is a pioneer in the field, being one of the first black women to gain prominence in national television journalism and according to Memória Globo, she became a reporter at a time when journalists did not yet appear on video and the first one to go live in color, on ‘Jornal Nacional‘, starring in the first high-definition broadcast on Brazilian television, being known for being a woman of firsts at Globo.
The journalist became known for her special reports and trips to exotic places, and for interviewing celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Harrison Ford, and Nicole Kidman, among others. Throughout her career, she has visited more than 100 countries, covering diverse cultures, conflicts, adventures, and notable figures around the world.
In the year of her passing, Gloria Maria received honors at the Vladimir Herzog Awards. The tribute aimed to celebrate her artistic career and highlight her legacy of inclusion and representation. For many, she was living proof that black girls can also occupy the most visible spaces in the media, demonstrating that presence matters, that visibility transforms.
2. Regiani Ritter
Like Gloria, Regiani Ritter is also a pioneer, but in the field of sports journalism, a male-dominated field to this day. The communicator broke barriers by being the first woman to seriously take on the challenge of covering football and being the first Brazilian woman to cover the World Cup in the United States in 1994.
The journalist began her artistic career at a very young age, acting in soap operas and comedy shows on TV Tupi, as well as participating in films and advertising work. She began his career in sports at Radio Gazeta and, a few years later, began working as a sports columnist, facing prejudice and gender barriers, but earned respect for her talent and dedication.
In an interview with the vehicle R7, Regiani remembered some of her difficulties while covering soccer, at a time when journalists were allowed into the locker rooms, but it was not common to see women in the environment. The reporter stated that she would not leave her radio at a disadvantage when a certain strangeness was shown by the athletes. In the same interview, she also left some advice for women who want to do the same as her.
“My message to women who want to work in soccer? Be strong. And don’t give up.”
Regiane Ritter
Ritter’s impact was so big that the Association of Sports Writers of the State of São Paulo (ACEESP) recognized the importance of her work for Brazilian sports journalism and created an award in her honor, the Regiani Ritter Trophy. This award aims to value and encourage new female talents in sports journalism, symbolizing her historical contribution and inspiring new generations of women in communication.
3. Maju Coutinho
Maria Julia Coutinho built a trajectory marked by talent, credibility, and pioneering achievements in Brazilian television. Despite being younger than Gloria and Regiani, Maju can say she is a pioneer just as well as they are, by becoming the first black woman to present Jornal Hoje alone, a historic milestone in Brazilian television journalism, establishing herself as one of the country’s main anchors.
The former Cásper Líbero student began her career in print journalism and, after working as a reporter on TV stations, stood out in the weather forecast for Jornal Nacional, where she gained public recognition for her resourcefulness and clarity in communication. Her trajectory represents a significant advance in representation and diversity in the media, but her leading role as a black woman bothered some of Globo’s viewers, who insulted her on social media and on the ‘JN’ website.
Coutinho’s professional attitude and journalistic ethics have established her as one of today’s leading journalists. Throughout her career, she has received numerous recognitions, including the “Faz Diferença” award in 2016, the Observatório da Televisão Trophy as Best Weather Girl in 2015 and 2016, and was named Personality of the Year by the newspaper O Globo during the same period.
In Fantástico!, program that she now anchors, Maju made reports with black women and samba dancers, in a conversation and music circle, she interviewed strong personalities such as the actress Viola Davis, activist Angela Davis and Ayo Tometi, and the writer Chimamanda Adichie.
4. Renata Vasconcellos
Renata Fernandes Vasconcellos started to work at Grupo Globo in the year 1996 and has appeared in some of the main news programs of the same group, such as Jornal Hoje, Bom Dia Brasil, Fantastico!, and now Jornal Nacional, which she presents alongside the journalist William Bonner.
Vasconcellos was one of the pioneers who launched Globo News, Brazil’s first news channel, hosting the newscast Em Cima da Hora. Now the journalist, in addition to hosting ‘Jornal Nacional,’ serves as the newscast’s executive editor. Being responsible for creating the news spots shown throughout the day.
At Globo News, Renata was involved in major news coverage and often stayed on air for hours at a stretch to report live on unfolding events, losing count of it. In 1997 alone, included the visit of Pope John Paul II to Brazil, the death of Princess Diana, and the release of the Japanese ambassador’s residence in Peru. In ‘JN’, she covered the political crisis that resulted in President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, the series of allegations involving her successor Michel Temer, and the attack on presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro during the election campaign, as well as two major socio-environmental disasters: Mariana and Brumadinho.
Throughout her career, Renata Vasconcellos has received numerous awards recognizing her competence, dedication, and excellence in journalism. She won the Comunique-se Award for the first time in 2009, and then later in 2011 and 2013 in the “TV Anchor” category.
Each one of these women carved her own path, in sports, on the News, or exploring the world with a microphone in hand, and, in doing so, they proved that journalism has space for every kind of voice. They are more than just remarkable professionals; they are living proof that passion and courage can rewrite the rules.
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The article above was edited by Clarissa Palácio.
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