Maxwell McCombs and Miquel Rodrigo Alsina: The influence of theirs studies in Brazil

Abstract

in Aracaju, Brazil, covering two important topics: agenda-setting examined in the era of the Internet and sociosemiotics applied to journalism studies. McCombs, who is currently a member of the faculty at the University of Texas, called attention to the transformations of journalism with the arrival of the Internet. From his point of view, the worldwide computer network provides many opportunities for construction of a journalism which is much more profound and closer to the public. He also maintains that the readers want quality content. Because they do not find it in print journalism, they are ceasing to read newspapers. On the Internet, they are not seeking cutting edge technology. They want content, always. Based on the Long tail Theory of Chris Anderson, McCombs outlines some possibilities for online journalism attracting the public more with segmented offers. Internationally renowned for his theory of agendasetting applied to the mass communication media, McCombs has exercised a great influence on Brazilian journalism studies. Professor McCombs had never been in Brazil before. Among the researchers present at the event of the Brazilian Association of Journalism Researchers-SBPJor, he commented that he would always maintain good recollections of the country, which he liked very much. In this edition, BJR brings together three researchers from two extremes of the country in order to draw the profile of