Daniele Alves Lopes was a Brazilian teenager who jumped to her death from the Centro Comercial Presidente building in São Paulo's central business district.[1] She was 16 years old. The suicide was filmed by a Brazilian news show, Aqui Agora, and shown on SBT. This broadcast led to a surge in ratings, and a national conversation about the sensationalized, violent and amoral nature of that news show.[2]
Death
On July 5, 1993, Daniele Lopes, despondent from a recent romantic break-up, climbed out on a 7th story parapet of an office building where she worked as a receptionist. While she was contemplating her fate, police and a news crew arrived and started filming. The events were filmed until after the girl jumped, but the scene was cut before she reached the ground.[3][4]
When the unedited footage was shown on Brazilian national television, it caused a spike in ratings. Lopes' youth and broken heart may have romanticized and contributed to the interest in the incident.[3]
Aftermath
The Brazilian psychiatrist Jacob Pinheiro Goldberg was a prominent critical voice of the broadcast, stating it may cause a societal desensitization effect,[5] and psychoanalyst Jurandir Freire Costa referred to the media as vultures. Other communication experts were also critical.[3]
In 1994, the Alves Lopes family reached a R$ 1.05 million settlement with SBT for moral damage.[6]
References
