The TV BRICS International Media Network presents a special project for the 20th anniversary of BRICS: “Global Media Briefing.” Expert commentary from representatives of the leading media of BRICS+ countries, partners of the media network, covers issues of shaping a unified global agenda, building a multipolar system of global media communications, current trends and key events of the past 20 years for the development of media discourse, and forecasts for the further evolution of the media landscape.
In an exclusive interview with TV BRICS, Sebastian Salgado, Programming Director of Extra! TV and Head of the international news agency Data Urgente, shared his views on the changes experienced by international journalism, the prospects for communication in the coming decades and the importance of preserving and promoting the cultural expressions of different peoples.
How has international journalism changed over the past 20 years?
The way people access information has changed significantly with the expansion of the digital world and social networks. A significant proportion of internet users have adopted new ways of consuming content, especially among younger generations.
Traditional news structures and major corporate media outlets have had to adapt to these new habits. Younger generations no longer rely on fixed schedules to receive information and, in many cases, do not consume content through traditional television formats.
In this context, social networks play a dual role. On the one hand, they have become almost essential for media outlets seeking to reach younger audiences, even when they maintain traditional formats, such as 24-hour news channels. On the other hand, they have enabled the emergence of a multitude of voices, making it possible to create content without the need for large media structures.
What will the future of communications look like over the next 20 years?
I believe that the formation of BRICS is opening up new possibilities for the development of the communication sector. Today, we have become accustomed to hearing news reports from Russia, China, India, South Africa and Brazil, and I believe this represents a step forward towards greater diversity of information sources.
In this regard, it is essential to ensure that corporate interests do not take priority over access to information as a human right. It is also important to maintain state support and funding for projects aimed at expanding diversity in the information space.
I believe it would be important for BRICS countries to develop their own social networks and platforms, with algorithms designed according to their own interests. From there, each person could decide whether they want to become part of this multipolar digital communication environment driven by BRICS and BRICS+ countries or continue using communication models that have dominated much of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century.
That is why creativity will be essential. It will also be necessary to develop symbolic elements and mechanisms for bringing our languages closer together. I believe this will be fundamental for the world of the future.
What should a common global agenda include?
Above all, it should include the authentic cultural expressions of peoples. When we talk about this, we can think of areas such as music, visual arts and gastronomy. It is important to recognise the potential of culture to build bridges between peoples who see themselves as part of a multipolar world.
Culture is indeed one of the fundamental tools for bringing peoples together, creating connections and finding common ground. Most Latin American music, for example, has roots in African rhythms. In Uruguay, we can see the continuation of this living culture in candombe, rooted in the traditions of the Rio de la Plata region.
It is important to highlight these connections, both in the present and by rediscovering elements of the past. If more people knew, for example, the stories of Anton Chekhov, many could identify with narratives that give a voice to small worlds we have never had access to because they belonged to another time and another place.
However, writers and artists have left us, through their legacy, the opportunity to discover these worlds through their works. These are essential actions that should place culture within reach of the wider public. We should understand cultures simply as human expressions through which political ideas and different ways of understanding the world can also be conveyed.