TV Brasil's Caminhos da Reportagem wins the Vladimir Herzog Award

The episode Domestic Slave Labor: Silence and Servitude, from the Caminhos da Reportagem program on TV Brasil, won the video category of the 48th edition of the Vladimir Herzog Journalistic Award for Amnesty and Human Rights. The announcement was made this Wednesday (30). The journalistic production, which aired on April 20, 2026, brings viewers the stories of women who were subjected to conditions analogous to slavery and discusses ways to improve the post-rescue process. "This work is the fruit of a collective effort by the Caminhos da Reportagem team at TV Brasil, of which I am very proud to be a part. Receiving the 48th Vladimir Herzog Award for Amnesty and Human Rights is a recognition that, for us, also reaffirms the importance and responsibility of public communication in Brazil," highlighted reporter Marieta Cazarré. "Talking about domestic slave labor is especially challenging because this violation takes place inside Brazilian homes, often far from the eyes of society," she added. Cases are presented such as that of Madalena Gordiano, who was rescued from a situation of labor analogous to slavery in Patos de Minas at the end of 2020. The report tells that she arrived at the home of the family that exploited her as a "goddaughter," but was subjected to more than 30 years of domestic work without pay or access to documents. The repercussions of this case at the time it came to light led to new complaints and more rescues of women in situations of domestic labor analogous to slavery in the country. For Paulo Leite, the program's text editor, "it is an immense pride to win such an important award by telling stories that remained hidden for years or decades. It is public communication doing its job. I thank those who agreed to talk with us and everyone who took part in this project." Producer Patrícia Araújo thanked the partners in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Rede Minas, who recorded with extreme sensitivity each testimony of these women who had their rights, their identity, and their dignity annulled. "We only shed light on these stories, hoping that the horrors of domestic slavery will never again be repeated in the country. Hence the importance of an award like Vladimir Herzog, which recognizes public journalism as a source of Human Rights in Brazil. Deeply honored!" The production team of the episode included Marieta Cazarré, Paulo Leite, Ana Graziela Aguiar, Ana Passos, Cleiton Freitas, Patrícia Araújo, Gabriel Penchel, JM Barboza, Rogério Verçoza, Sigmar Gonçalves, Alexandre Souza, Marcelo Vasconcelos, Rafael Carvalho, Rivaldo Martins, Aleixo Leite, Caroline Ramos, and Wagner Maia. Watch the award-winning episode of Caminhos da Reportagem Caminhos da Reportagem was also competing for the award with another finalist, the episode The Eternal April of Carajás: 30 Years of a Massacre. The program covers one of the largest police repressions in the country's rural history, which resulted in 21 deaths and dozens of wounded in Eldorado do Carajás, in Pará, in 1996. The program was broadcast on April 13, 2026. The production team included Thiago Padovan, Acácio Barros, JM Barboza, Rafael Carvalho, Márcio Garoni, Rodrigo Botosso, Nelson Lin, and Fábio de Albuquerque. Watch the episode that was also a finalist in the awards Agência Brasil was also awarded in this edition of the Vladimir Herzog. The photo Widow bids farewell to her husband killed in the deadliest police operation in Rio de Janeiro, by photographer Tomaz Silva, was chosen by the awards jury. The photograph portrays the pain of Fernanda da Silva Martins as she embraces the body of her partner, killed in the deadliest police operation in the history of Rio de Janeiro, in October 2025. The image was republished in newspapers and websites in Brazil and abroad. The award is a tribute to journalist Vladimir Herzog, tortured and assassinated by the military dictatorship on October 25, 1975, on the premises of the Information Operations Detachment of the Internal Defense Operations Center (DOI-Codi), in São Paulo. The DOI-Codi was the main organ of political repression, detention, and torture of the military regime (1964-1985). At the time, the official version presented by the military regime was that Herzog had committed suicide. Public mission EBC president Antonia Pellegrino highlighted the relationship between the award-winning works and the mission of public journalism. "The two award-winning works take the public to places where pain is usually hidden: the ground of Penha on the day of the deadliest police operation in Rio's history, and the inside of houses where women are still kept in conditions of slavery. This is the vocation of public journalism: to give visibility to those the country insists on not seeing and to place human rights at the center of coverage. The Vladimir Herzog Award carries the memory of a journalist assassinated by the dictatorship for doing his job. EBC was awarded twice in this edition. This result shows the consistency of the Agência Brasil and TV Brasil teams. I congratulate Tomaz Silva, Marieta Cazarré, and the entire Caminhos da Reportagem team. I also congratulate Thiago Padovan and the colleagues from The Eternal April of Carajás, who reached the final," said Antonia. EBC's Journalism director, Myrian Pereira, also recognized the work of the company's teams. "These two awards are a source of pride for EBC and recognize the strength of our teams. Both Tomaz Silva's photograph and the Caminhos da Reportagem on domestic slave labor place at the center people whose pain and stories need to be seen and heard. These are works that break the silence, expose violations, and call on us to confront these realities. This is the commitment of the public journalism we do: to inform with rigor and sensitivity, in defense of human rights and democracy," said Myrian.