Projor - Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Jornalismo

What Projor - Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Jornalismo does

Projor - Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Jornalismo is a Brazilian non-governmental, non-corporate, non-partisan civil non-profit founded on April 14, 2002 by journalist Alberto Dines in partnership with Labjor at the University of Campinas (Unicamp). Headquartered in São Paulo with a staff of 8, the institute operates a portfolio of five journalism development initiatives: Observatório da Imprensa, the country's only independent media criticism vehicle (founded 1996, originally a TV program on public broadcasters and now a digital publication); Atlas da Notícia, an annual census mapping news-producing vehicles across Brazil's 5,570 municipalities and identifying 'news deserts' (launched 2015, now in its fifth edition); Manual GPI, a guide and training program for municipal election and local public policy coverage launched in 2013 with Ford Foundation support; Codesinfo, an innovation fund launched in 2024 with Google News Initiative to finance technology projects against disinformation by Atlas-listed organizations; and the Programa de Indicadores de Compromissos com o Público, a transparency certification program for Brazilian news sites launched in November 2024 covering ~200 organizations.

The organization does not sell products or services and does not operate a commercial go-to-market motion. It is funded through project-based grants from a small set of institutional partners — Google News Initiative, Meta Journalism Project, Ford Foundation, and Labjor/Unicamp — with supporting collaboration from Intercom and Abraji. Its primary beneficiaries are Brazilian journalists, news organizations, and citizens in municipalities underserved by local news coverage; secondary beneficiaries include journalism researchers, educators, and media-funders seeking independent analysis of the Brazilian press.

The institute's distinguishing assets are non-technological: more than two decades of editorial credibility in media criticism, the only comprehensive Brazil-wide dataset of news producers and news deserts, and a dense network of partnerships with major global journalism funders and Brazilian academic and investigative journalism institutions. Leadership is drawn from established Brazilian journalism figures, including former Projeto Comprova editor Sérgio Lüdtke (President, 2025–2027 term), Unesp professor Francisco Rolfsen Belda (Director of Operations), and Amazônia Real editor-executive Kátia Brasil (Editorial Director).

Name

Projor - Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Jornalismo

Legal name

Projor - Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Jornalismo

Website

https://projor.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brazilian non-profit journalism development institute operating Observatório da Imprensa, Atlas da Notícia, Manual GPI, Codesinfo, and Indicadores de Compromissos to strengthen media criticism and local journalism across Brazil's municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Journalism Development and Media Research

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)

Keywords

• Journalism development
• Media criticism
• Local journalism
• News mapping
• Media literacy

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Projor is a non-profit civil entity that operates journalism development programs in Brazil, providing independent media criticism (Observatório da Imprensa), a national census mapping news producers and identifying news deserts across 5,570 municipalities (Atlas da Notícia), training resources for municipal election coverage (Manual GPI), an innovation fund financing technological projects to combat disinformation (Codesinfo, in partnership with Google News Initiative), and a transparency indicators program evaluating news sites' public commitments. Its outputs are research, training guides, critical journalism, census data, and grant-funded innovation projects that strengthen journalism as a public service.

Product overview

Projor - Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Jornalismo is a non-profit civil organization that operates a portfolio of journalism development initiatives focused on media criticism and strengthening local journalism in Brazil. The core offerings include: Observatório da Imprensa (independent media criticism since 1996), Atlas da Notícia (annual census of Brazilian news vehicles identifying news deserts), Manual GPI (municipal election coverage guide), Codesinfo (disinformation combat innovation fund with Google News Initiative), and the Programa de Indicadores de Compromissos com o Público (transparency indicator evaluation program). These initiatives work together to strengthen journalism as a public service and support democracy in Brazil's 5,570 municipalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Observatório da Imprensa: Pioneer independent media criticism vehicle for Brazilian media, founded in April 1996. The only independent journalistic outlet dedicated to criticism of Brazilian media.
• Atlas da Notícia
• Manual GPI
• Codesinfo
• Indicadores de Compromissos

Products and services

• Observatório da Imprensa Independent media criticism vehicle dedicated to analyzing Brazilian press. Publishes weekly articles and essays on journalism practices, errors, and industry vulnerabilities since 1996. Serves journalists, academics, and citizens interested in media quality.
• Atlas da Notícia Annual census mapping news-producing vehicles across Brazil's 5,570 municipalities. Identifies news deserts and qualitative coverage trends. Inspired by Columbia Journalism Review's American news desert project.
• Manual GPI de Eleições Municipais Guide providing basic concepts on municipal public policies and data journalism tools for reporters and citizens covering local elections. Part of the Grande Pequena Imprensa initiative to strengthen regional and local journalism in Brazil.
• Codesinfo - Fundo de Inovação Contra a Desinformação Innovation fund supporting journalistic solutions to combat disinformation. Joint program with Google News Initiative financing technology projects by Atlas da Notícia-listed organizations.
• Programa de Indicadores de Compromissos com o Público Program evaluating news sites for compliance with 11 transparency and public commitment indicators. Qualifying sites receive a 'committed to the public' seal.

Quantifiable outcome

• Atlas da Notícia has mapped thousands of Brazilian news vehicles
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Labjor da UnicampcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2002Labjor (Laboratório de Estudos de Jornalismo) at the University of Campinas is the institutional partner that provided the initial hosting and support for the Observatório da Imprensa project. Projor was created in partnership with Labjor and Carlos Vogt (Labjor coordinator) serves on Projor's board.
• IntercomsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerIntercom (Associação Nacional de Pesquisadores de Comunicação) supports the Atlas da Notícia project as an institutional partner.
• Abraji (Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAbraji supports the Atlas da Notícia project and collaborates with Projor on academic and training initiatives related to journalism development.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Center for Journalists (ICFJ): Global journalism training and support organization that co-runs the Digital Video Accelerator with Facebook (coordinated by Projor's president). Comparable in its training, network-building, and journalist capacity-building mandate.
• Columbia Journalism Review: US journalism review publication whose "America's Growing News Desert" project directly inspired Projor's Atlas da Notícia. Highly comparable in its media criticism and news ecosystem mapping functions.
• Poynter Institute: US-based journalism training and media criticism organization operating fact-checking, ethics, and news literacy programs. Comparable to Projor in mission (media criticism, journalism standards) though at much larger scale and US-centric.
• Knight Foundation / Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: Global funder and journalism development organization that supports innovation, training, and news sustainability. Comparable to Projor given its focus on strengthening journalism capacity worldwide and cultivating local reporting ecosystems.

Direct peers

• Agência Mural de Jornalismo das Periferias: São Paulo-based news agency focused on peripheral communities, founded by Projor board member Paulo Talarico. It directly reinforces Projor's Grande Pequena Imprensa (GPI) mission to strengthen local and community journalism in underserved Brazilian areas.
• Abraji (Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo): Brazilian association for investigative journalism that directly collaborates with Projor on Atlas da Notícia and academic/training initiatives. Both organizations operate in Brazilian journalism development, training journalists and supporting accountability journalism.
• Projeto Comprova: Brazilian collaborative fact-checking initiative led by Sergio Lüdtke (Projor's current president) until 2018. It directly parallels Projor's Codesinfo mission of combatting disinformation in Brazilian journalism.
• Agência Amazônia Real: Independent investigative news agency covering the Amazon, led by Projor Director Kátia Brasil. Comparable to Projor as a Brazilian independent journalism outlet serving communities with limited mainstream coverage.

Regional players

• Intercom (Associação Nacional dos Programas de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação): Brazilian academic association for communication researchers, an institutional supporter of Atlas da Notícia. Comparable as a Brazilian organization strengthening journalism research and education.

Emerging players

• Trust Project: News transparency standards organization whose Trust Indicators are being implemented in Brazil by Projor's Director of Operations, Francisco Rolfsen Belda. Directly comparable to Projor's Indicadores de Compromissos com o Público program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/projor-instituto-para-o-desenvolvimento-do-jornalismo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Projor - Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Jornalismo