A experiência da cooperativa dos jornalistas de Porto Alegre (Coojornal) como alternativa de organização da categoria profissional.

Abstract

In order to examine the experience of the Cooperativa dos Jornalistas de Porto Alegre (Coojornal), which operated between 1974 and 1983, as an alternative of cooperative organization for journalists, we examined the creation, operation and the end of the first cooperative of journalists in Brazil. To understand how the enterprise was organized, this research begins with a discussion about cooperative and solidarity economy as a whole, subject permeated by the issue of regional development. Concept linked to implementation of quality improvements, regional development can occur because of many factors that break the stagnation of a region. The solidarity economy is among the initiatives with potential to break the cycle of stagnation, because of the comunity involvement and the benefits created by these enterprises or, in a cooperative of journalists, even because of the provision of quality information to the population, assisting in the formation of a critical look at the reality that surrounds them. Considering cooperativism as a movement also influenced by the context were the iniciatives are created, is recovered the Brazilian political e economic reality, and the development of media and journalism in the studied period. Finally, the history of Coojornal is examined, using essentially information obtained in the interviews with eight former associates. Thus it was possible to verify that the main motivations for the foundation of the cooperative was the possibility of create a place were the journalists could work with more freedom than in conventional media, and offers to the professional category an alternative in the stagnant business market in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre. Its administration followed the basic principles of cooperative, with some adjustments, such has in profit sharing and the centralization of some decisions in the board of directors. With the information obtained is possible to understand either that the end of Coojornal, in 1983, does not have one cause, but series of correlated problems: the repression by federal government, financial problems, infighting and disaffiliation of members.