Renato Machado boycotted diplomacy exam to tell the history of the world up close

Renato Machado, a reference in Brazilian television journalism, dies at the age of 83 in Rio Journalist Renato Machado, former presenter of Bom Dia Brasil, died this Thursday morning (16), aged 83, at Clínica São Vicente, in Gávea, South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. One of the main names in Brazilian television journalism, Renato built a career spanning more than four decades at TV Globo, where he also presented Jornal da Globo and RJTV, was part of the Jornal Nacional panel and served as an international correspondent and special reporter. The son of a military man and a Law graduate, he passed the Itamaraty exam, but boycotted the eye exam to follow his true vocation: seeing the world up close and reporting history. Before debuting in newsrooms, he tried his hand at artistic life as an actor and voice actor, until joining the Brazilian service of BBC radio, in London, at the end of the 1960s, and later working for 14 years as a reporter and international editor at Jornal do Brasil. His career at TV Globo began in 1982, at the invitation of then director Armando Nogueira. Quickly adapted to the dynamics of television, Renato debuted in coverage of the Falklands War. "To be a television journalist, an accumulation of knowledge is necessary. It's about knowing interesting facts about cranes, camera traffic, framing, colors, text, editing. It's an exchange. A universe of learning that, every day, you see that you make mistakes", he told "Memória Globo". Renato Machado in the Bom Dia Brasil studio Reproduction/ Memória Globo Shortly afterwards, in 1983, he traveled through Central America to produce special reports for Globo Repórter, where he faced dangerous scenarios of civil conflicts and obtained an exclusive interview with the then guerrilla leader and future Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega. Still in 1983, the journalist took on the position of correspondent in the London office, which was his base for six years of intense production. There was no shortage of historical coverage during this period: Renato covered the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 (followed from Sweden due to restrictions on entry into Ukraine) and the terrorist attacks in Paris in the same year, when he was arrested by the French police while filming outside a prison. Back in Brazil in 1988 as a special reporter, he starred in extreme moments, including a supersonic flight aboard a Brazilian Air Force Mirage fighter. After a brief and successful stint at TV Manchete in 1990, where he covered the Gulf War directly from the Middle East, Renato returned to Globo the following year. At the station, he actively participated in crucial coverage for the country's history, such as the impeachment process of former president Fernando Collor and the tragic death of Ayrton Senna. In 1996, Renato Machado took over the bench and chief edition of Bom Dia Brasil, where he remained for 15 years and led a major editorial reformulation. Under his command, the morning news program gained a more dynamic, informal format and focused on live commentary, bringing the news closer to the viewer. Alongside bench partners such as Leilane Neubarth and Renata Vasconcellos, he consolidated the program's identity and anchored notable broadcasts, such as coverage of the historic floods that stopped Rio de Janeiro in 2010. Renato Machado and Leilane Neurbath on the set of Bom Dia Brasil TV Globo Collection The journalist returned to London in 2011 for a new season as a correspondent, covering European crises and terrorist attacks, in addition to producing chronicles and series specials on behavior and culture. In 2016, he moved back to Rio de Janeiro as a special reporter for Globo Repórter — work that earned him an International Emmy nomination for the documentary "A Arte como Passaporte". Passionate about wine, Renato ended his cycle at the station in November 2021 and wrote about the subject in newspapers and magazines. He leaves an invaluable legacy of charisma, precision and elegance on Brazilian television.