Marcelo Soares

Experience

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  Correio do Povo

  Jun 1995 - Dec 1999

  Many auxiliary positions

  During my early years in journalism school, I worked at Correio do Povo at night. I began as an office-boy, then I worked on the department that received news from the wires, then I worked on the newspaper’s first website and, in the last two years, I worked as a direct aide to the executive editor, Telmo Flor, doing whatever was needed – from helping reporters in Web searches to pre-editing pages and researching for retrospective sections.

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  Folha de S.Paulo

  Mar 2000 - Jul 2001

  Reporter

  I covered the 2000 election in São Paulo. I have also done stories on electronic vote safety and on previously secret historic documents about the military dictatorship, among others. I also pre-edited other journalists’ stories.

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  Panini Brasil

  Jan 2002 - Jan 2013

  Comics translator

  That's the most relaxing job I did. I translated Daredevil, The Incredible Hulk and The New Avengers, regularly, in their Brazilian editions. All the editions I've ever translated are listed at Guia dos Quadrinhos.

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  Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas

  Dec 2002 - Jun 2010

  Collaborator

  Until December of 2004, I was a news monitor in Brazil for the Center. Then, I became an eventual collaborator while I was doing other work. In late 2007/early 2008, I helped jump-start the project of the “Jornalismo nas Américas” blog for the center, located at the University of Texas at Austin. I did that until September of 2008. More recently, I’ve translated into Portuguese the guides “Como Escrever para a Web”, released in March of 2009, and "Ferramentas Digitais para Jornalistas", released in 2010. Although I'm not collaborating as constantly as before, I always find some time to help when they need me. Show less

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  Media companies

  Aug 2003 - Dec 2019

  Guest Instructor

  Invited by many media companies and journalism schools, I've taught (or co-taught, in the beginning) courses mostly on the journalistic use of data. Some venues included Folha de S.Paulo, SBT, A Gazeta Group, O Povo, A Tarde and TV Globo

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  Abraji - Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo

  Apr 2004 - Mar 2006

  Executive Manager

  I was a founding member of the association and created its first website, in 2002. In 2004, I was hired as its first manager, also. I began creating the association’s structure and organized every single event promoted by it until 2005, including the first International Congress on Investigative Journalism (October 27-29, 2005), which received more than 300 journalists coming from 15 states. I’m still a collaborator whenever Abraji needs help.

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  Transparência Brasil

  Apr 2006 - Sept 2007

  Researcher

  In 2006, I conceived and edited the project “Excelências” (www.excelencias.org.br), a database of profiles of congressmen who were running for reelection. Those profiles were based in public information freely available on the internet, such as how they performed in Congress, how they spent office money, which amendments they have proposed for the Federal budget, who financed their campaigns, the lawsuits they faced and their apparitions in corruption news. The project was awarded the Esso prize for Best Contribution to Journalism. Show less

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  Los Angeles Times

  May 2006 - May 2011

  Stringer in Brazil

  I worked with the Los Angeles Times correspondents in Latin America whenever they had a story in Brazil, doing interviews, research, contacts, ground reporting and translations. We have covered the attacks to São Paulo by a gang of criminals (the PCC), the presidential election, crime, religion conflicts, business and arts.

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  Committee to Protect Journalists

  Jul 2007 - Dec 2008

  Consultant in Brazil

  I monitored attacks against journalists in Brazil and wrote the yearly Brazil section of the CPJ report.

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  International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)

  Mar 2008 - now

  Member

  I took part in the projects "Tobacco Underground" (2008), "Dangers in the Dust" (2009), "Climate Change Lobby" (2010) and lent a hand in a couple other projects. I am a member since 2010, but the last project I took part of was published in 2013.

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  MTV Brasil

  Mar 2009 - Dec 2010

  Politics columnist

  I did a weekly comment on political issues for the Notícias MTV show, targeted at viewers who don’t quite understand politics, trying to be as explanatory and pleasant as possible, especially using pop references. The comment was tied to my blog on politics (“E Você Com Isso”, or “What Do You Have To Do With This”), where I posted commentary and online public information resources where viewers can check how their representatives have been acting.

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  WIRED

  Apr 2009 - Dec 2010

  Freelance reporter

  My first story for them, "The Great Brazilian Sat-Hack Crackdown", was the second most read in the day, last time I checked. http://is.gd/tqCfMy second story, "Brazilian blackout traced to sooty insulators, not hackers", was online on November 9, 2009: http://is.gd/4VSCKThe third one, "WikiLeaked Cable Says 2009 Brazilian Blackout Wasn’t Hackers, Either", was online on December 6, 2010: http://is.gd/FCS28s

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  Global Integrity

  Jul 2009 - Feb 2010

  Lead Reporter for Brazil, Global Integrity Report 2009

  The report was published in Feb 23, 2010. This is my story: http://report.globalintegrity.org/Brazil/2009/notebook

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  Folha de S.Paulo

  May 2011 - Nov 2011

  I took care of data acquisition, cleaning and analysis for online infographics I've assisted temporarily the assistant editor in the Training section, helping out also as an instructor for the trainees.

  • Number cruncher, Graphics desk

    Aug 2011 - Nov 2011

  • Training section

    May 2011 - Aug 2011
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  Folha de S.Paulo

  May 2012 - Mar 2016

  Audience and Data Editor

  I was in charge of the audience strategy at Folha, the leading newspaper in Brazil, between 2012 and 2016. In 2015, I was formally named editor. In that period, the newspaper inaugurated its paywall and tripled its audience at the same time.

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  ESPM Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing

  Oct 2015 - Dec 2019

  Guest Professor

  I taught data journalism classes at the Digital Journalism graduate course at the ESPM, in São Paulo. In 2016, the class analyzed the funding of city council members. In 2017, the theme of the discipline is historical social and demographic data, in a homage to Hans Rosling. Previously, I taught data journalism classes at the Digital Journalism graduate course at PUCRS, in my native town Porto Alegre, between its first installment, in 2012, and the 2015 class. In 2014 and 2016, I taught at Universidade Positivo. In 2009, I've taught investigative journalism classes in the graduate course in Specialized Journalism at the Universidade Metodista de Piracicaba (UNIMEP). In 2006, my first experience in teaching a data journalism course to graduate students was at the UNOCHAPECÓ. By invitation, I've also done spare lectures for students at the University of São Paulo (USP) in 2004-2005. Show less

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  Marcelo Soares

  Mar 2016 - now

  Independent data and audience strategy consultant

  I've been doing independent work on audience development, mostly with Brazilian media - especially the small ones, who have no resources to keep a dedicated person on their team. Clients include media groups, nonprofits and universities. In data journalism, other than teaching at ESPM, I've been producing some award-winning works in collaboration with Brazilian media.

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  Lagom Data

  Jul 2018 - now

  Founder and Editor

  Lagom Data is my personal practice, to help small, medium and big organizations answer questions with data. Do you need to improve audience on your site? We can analyze your data and help you create a strategy. Do you need to find out patterns in public information? Talk to us. Do you have proprietary information you need to make sense of? Get in touch. Lagom Data helps you gather, clean and shape data to answer questions. No salesman talk of "big data"; no grandiose technical talk. I like the Swedish word "Lagom", which means "just enough". The service I offer is this: you have a problem to solve with data, Lagom will help you find creative ways to deal with it. Show less