AN UNIQUE BRAZILIAN PRESS INSTITUTION: “JOAO BURACAO”

Files under General | Oct 27th

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Let me explain you who is the guy in this picture.

He is the famous “Joao Buracao.” (Jack Pothole)

A very unique street reporter.

A few weeks ago we had a ONE DAY WITH INNOVATION in Rio, and one of the participants was the editor of EXTRA, the popular best-selling newspaper of Brazil.

After the ONE DAY we visited his office and we found there, seating in his own chair, “Joao Buracao”

He is now a Brazilian press institution: “Joao Buracao” is watchdog real human size reporter used by the paper to denounce the bad shape of many street roads in the city.

He has his own blog.

And he is a key-player for the Rio 2016 Games.

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When he is not meeting the Mayor of Rio, “Joao” goes to the schools, is invited to weddings, gets condecorations, and went to the hospital when the local police used extreme force with him…

JOAO WITH THE RIO MAYOR

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And of course “Joao” has a very busy schedule standing in front of the most dramatic holes of the city.

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This is the way that he was discovered by Fernando Torres, a real reporter of EXTRA.

In this video you can see the “father” of “Joao Burcao” explaining why he created him.

Now he has “Tiao”, a son that helps him in this job.

Here they are seating with Irandi Pereira da Rocha, the father of the Buracao family.

Irandi with TIAO

And because this is Rio, other “Joaos” are following the same path.

MORE JOAOS

OTRO JOAO

He is now a “celebrity”, so big that some local politicians fear that if “Joao Burcao” becomes a “candidate” he can win the elections.

His record since he was “hired” by EXTRA: more than 200 denounced “buracos” (potholes) have been fixed in Rio.

Our friends of O POVO in Fortaleza had today this fantastic front page about the same problem with the main road in this state.

BRA_OPOVO

Well they need to invite “Joao Buracao” or create their own one.

(Pictures by EXTRA)


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