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Interviews
Interview with Reuben Garcia, Producer of Noticiero de Santo (Santo’s News Program)
By Marina Lopez Saubidet, a media scholar and civil society activist in Argentina
Aug 17, 2002, 3:08am
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Q. What kind of journalism does Noticiero de Santo practice?
A. Noticiero de Santo shows every role played by journalism, or TV in this case, in a diversified way. Since it is a news program, obviously the first thing we do is to inform. In addition to broadcasting information, there are several sections focusing on providing service-related programs to people. I bet you wont see that on the front page of a newspaper. In this sense, I am referring to Mirta, when she responds to the retired community; or to the psychologist who analyzes a family problem; to Dr. Auat, who makes recommendations on consortia issues or the very Santo (the host), who rides a subway in a scorching hot summer day and takes notes of people’s complaints about the heat that everyone has to suffer, including you and I. In other words we try to retain the viewers and not show 50 minutes of dragging stories portraying a troubled country, where everyone does nothing but complain. On the contrary, we make an attempt of interspersing stories: today we complain about this, we have fun with that, and we inform. The point is to make a show that can be digested at noon, a show that is not too difficult to swallow: to inform and at the same time to have service content, as well as commitment and solidarity.
Q. How did the idea of Santo the Citizen come about?
A. In 1999 we started a social program together with Santo, where everyone could speak and have a space to say what is going on and make claims. We started with a section featuring Santo called the forgotten neighbors: Santo would go out in the streets. It was a section focusing rather on the neighbors of the Greater Buenos Aires than those from the capital. It dealt with the typical city-life issues, such as bumpy roads with poor concrete, speed ramps, stop lights, electric power, waterworks, lack of safety, and so forth. We are determined to play the citizen. In other words to wear the citizens’ shoes. We show people standing in line at 4 in the morning at ANSES in the district of Temperley in July, when the temperature is 5 below zero. So Santo goes over and does what people do. The idea of having Santo do this is because he is one of the best known journalists in our country and one of the most credible ones too. I don’t think it would have worked with another journalist. The point is to have Santo Biasati get on a crowded bus or go to the oncological hospital to show that the tomograph doesn’t work.
Q. What is the impact like?
A. Very positive; the telephone rings, people put in claims and beg us to help them. Obviously it is hard to manage with everyone’s requests. But we try to touch on every spectrum. We have already covered ANSES, the subway system, the bus lines, the highways. We have acted on 65 citizens’ complaints.
Q. Is there a follow-up action?
Santo has the reputation of being a free person who speaks his mind. We played the role of 65 citizens and we have solved many things. The nicest thing is to have a public official call and say: “you came over here but we would like to tell you that we are working on it and the problems will be solved in two days.” Sometimes, upon going back to check, we find the problem solved, sometimes it isn’t. We succeeded in having many people call us up, watch us, listen to us and that gives us the opportunity to cover more stories, because the mere fact of putting such stories on air is enough to cause people to react. Then, we hear comments like “that happened to me too,” or “here is the same thing.” We produce this section with a notebook and two receptionists on the phone who write down what is happening. We then check whether it is worth going over or not. This is done thanks to a group of producers who have worked a lot and a person who is willing to work despite the fact that he is Santo Biasati, who, considering his prestige, could be seating at a desk presenting news without worrying too much.
Q. Are you also doing a night show?
One time, at three in the morning, Santo stood in line out in the street in the cold, together with other people who were waiting to get a number for a medical appointment at a hospital. From that point people were allowed to stand in line indoors. Why? Because Santo Biasati went over. I don’t know whether the authorities at the hospital would have said, “they are freezing, let them come in.” We went down, made a claim, spoke to an official on the phone and asked him why they were doing that and he explained that it was due to safety reasons. We went on to explain that if there were people that had no choice but to wait, it was better for them to wait inside. Now they have a security person at night who lets people in and tells them where to stay. Some things have been achieved and that is why this profession is so rewarding.
Q. Do you consider that this role of a journalist who is involved with the citizens is acquiring greater importance as opposed to the one practicing the more traditional role?
A. This is a role that has been occurring lately in Argentina. Maybe I am too young and think that such a pursuit was not common in the past. In my opinion, institutions that are supposed to control what public officials do are not doing their job. Nowadays everyone gets shelter under the media to say: “Please, I need to get my ID, I need to leave the country and they won’t give it to me.” They won’t call the police or the ombudsman or Adecua. They call Channel 13. We don’t have any obligation to control anyone. We simply report and take people’s claims. We try to use the microphone so that people can talk about their lives; we entertain, we show a soccer game, we comment on entertainment shows, and we provide information. Unfortunately in this country people are lonely, they don’t have anyone to turn to when something wrong happens. People are taking refuge in the media. Obviously not everyone’s needs can be met. More than once we have sent people to the Ministry of Health so that they give them food for it had been four days before they last ate. We are doing the job that the public officials are supposed to do. The government has major shortcomings. That is why the citizens come to us.
© Copyright 2001 by YourSITE.com
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