World Summit 2009 Presenters: Maria Paula Schmidt Carvalho

Maria Paula Schmidt Carvalho is Brazilian, and was born in a small city called Cachoeira do Sul, at Rio Grande do Sul state, and moved to Porto Alegre to start her studies in Social Comunications. She graduated from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul in 1996. In 2009 she completed her Masters Degree in Social Comunication, at Pontificia Univesidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro.

When people ask her why did she chose journalism, she says that to write is like having a good friend. She can find happiness in the expression of her thoughts, choosing the correct words, communicating ideas and listening to people. This curiosity, that is part of this profession, comes together to form a sense of responsibility and a strong belief that mass culture can be useful for democracy and social justice.

She has worked at TVE - Fundação Cultural Piratini, Rádio e Televisão Educativa, TV Com e RBS TV from Porto Alegre, where she had the opportunity to work as a reporter, presenter, producer and editor for television programs.

Since 2000 she has been working at TV Globo, at Rio de Janeiro, as a reporter for national programs, writing about different subjects like politics, economy, literature, arts and human behavior. Apart from her job as a reporter, she is also a producer and presenter of a weekly program about arts and entertainment at TV Globo.