A pioneer figure in the field, José Marques de Melo gained justified fame in journalism studies in Brazil, without elaborating upon a systematic reflection on the subject. In this article, we proceed to the rational reconstruction of what would be his journalism theory, in order to develop a critical judgment about its intellectual meaning and epistemological limits. We argue that his ideas are part of what will be referred to here as liberal-developmentalism. In conclusion, we affirm that the lack of greater scientific and intellectual resonance in his work is the result of the incompatibilities and contradictions of this kind of thinking with the historical formation of Brazilian society.Figura pioneira no campo, José Marques de Melo marcou posição nos estudos de jornalismo no Brasil, sem ter pretendido deixar reflexão sistemática a respeito do assunto. Procedemos neste artigo à reconstrução racional do que seria sua teoria do jornalismo para, no fim, emitir juízo crítico sobre seu significado intelectual e seus limites epistemológicos. Argumentamos que suas ideias se enquadram no que se chamará aqui de liberal-desenvolvimentismo. Em conclusão, afirmamos que a falta de maior ressonância científica e intelectual de sua obra é fruto das incompatibilidades e contradições do referido ideário com a formação histórica da sociedade brasileira.Figura pionera en el campo, José Marques de Melo marcó posición en los estudios de periodismo en Brasil, sin haber tenido la intención de elaborar una reflexión sistemática sobre el tema. En este artículo, procedemos a la reconstrucción racional de lo que sería su teoría del periodismo para, al final, emitir un juicio crítico sobre su significado intelectual y sus límites epistemológicos. Argumentamos que sus ideas caen dentro de lo que aquí se llamará liberal-desarrollismo. En conclusión, afirmamos que la falta de mayor resonancia científica e intelectual en su trabajo es resultado de las incompatibilidades y contradicciones de esa idea con la formación histórica de la sociedad brasileña.

The key argument of this article is that fan communities create, in their own way, a kind of prosumer media activism. Through a netnographic approach, I analyze aspects of fan labor and value creation, self-organization and entrepreneurship, agency and exploitation in an online discussion forum about the American singer Britney Spears in Brazil. Based on this case study on social networking, I develop the argument that it is possible to see digital fandom as a stage for a commodified cyberactivism, in which some social actors in the role of prosumers, on the one hand, exercise their freedom and find, more than gratification, ways to project themselves individually in society. But, on the other hand, they are subject to exploitative relationships, such as unpaid work, to promote the personality whose concrete relationship with their lives often does not go beyond media practices.

A significant part of Brazilian journalism research has been influenced by French academic culture. This article reconstructs the last 60 years of journalism studies in Brazil considering the relations established with France since the first scholars at the Institut Français de Presse, but also semioticians, historians, sociologists and philosophers from other institutions. This overview, focused on those who have received French approaches, shows the main trends and challenges that Brazilian scholars have been dealing with developing their own works in methodological and theoretical terms. Each study is commented on within its respective field of knowledge—such as language, sociology, anthropology and history—and then compared with the others. The key argument is that there are several and even conflicting French references that guide the approaches and understandings adopted by journalism researchers in Brazil.

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