Schutz, Sheherazade and the man on the street: revisiting aspects of journalism as a builder of reality

Abstract

This article combines a conceptual review of journalism as a builder of reality to the discussion of the concept of Alfred Schutz (1976) about the social distribution of knowledge. From the three ideal types outlined by Schutz - the expert, the informed citizen and the man on the street - this text took up for analysis the media the episode in which the journalist Rachel Sheherazade, SBT, commented popular action in Rio de Janeiro, when people arrested a suspicious boy of committing theft to a street pole. The journalist said that the action of “avengers” was understandable and that given the failure of public security in Brazil, citizens have to defend yourself. The fact generated great effect on online social networks and brought up once again the debate about the limits of ethics and journalism opinion.