{"id":14803,"date":"2018-10-25T13:40:05","date_gmt":"2018-10-25T13:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/?post_type=noticia&p=14803"},"modified":"2021-04-06T12:54:42","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T12:54:42","slug":"journalists-under-threat-during-electoral-campaign","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/journalists-under-threat-during-electoral-campaign\/","title":"Journalists under threat during electoral campaign","content":"

A number of Brazilian and international non-governmental organisations said today that candidates for President of the Republic should resoundingly condemn threats and acts of violence against journalists who are covering the electoral campaign. A number of reporters have been persecuted, threatened and, in some cases, physically attacked.<\/p>\n

The organisations are: Artigo 19, the Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism (Abraji), the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ), Conectas Human Rights, Human Rights Watch and Reporters without Borders (RSF).<\/p>\n

Patr\u00edcia Campos Mello, special reporter on the Folha de S\u00e3o Paulo, said that she received a flood of online threats, two menacing phone calls and had her What\u2019s App account hacked after she discovered and reported what appeared to be a campaign by business people in favour of the presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, to send fake news via What\u2019s App to millions of Brazilians.<\/p>\n

After the report, Mauro Paulino, Executive Director at Datafolha (linked to the Folha de S\u00e3o Paulo)\u00b8 also received threats on a message app and at his home, according to the newspaper. In addition, the newspaper informed that Bolsonaro supporters carried out a \u2018systematic\u2019 attack on one of its What\u2019s App numbers, which received 220,000 messages in four days. This made it impossible for reporters to monitor messages sent by their readers, Folha staff said.<\/p>\n

On 23 October, the newspaper asked the Superior Electoral Court to request a Federal Police inquiry to look into what it considers to be \u201cindications of an orchestrated action and an attempt to curtail the freedom of the press\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe threats are unacceptable. They must be investigated and all those involved must be held accountable in order to protect responsible, investigative, independent journalism.\u201d said Juana Kweitel, Executive Director at Conectas Human Rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe threats against Patr\u00edcia Campos Mello and other journalists represent an alarming escalation in rhetoric against the press in this contentious electoral cycle in Brazil.\u201d Said Natalie Southwick, Coordinator of the CPJ Programme for Central and South America. \u201cJournalists covering the presidential election in Brazil must be able to work freely and safely while reporting on issues of public interest. We ask that all candidates from all political parties respect the freedom of the press, abstain from making inflammatory statements against the media and urge supporters of their parties to stop harassing and threatening journalists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abraji has documented 141 cases of threats and violence against journalists covering the elections. Most of these are attributed to supporters of Bolsonaro\u2019s party, while the remainder are attributed to supporters of the Workers\u2019 Party (PT).<\/p>\n

Attacks against women journalists often include gender violence, including online sexual assault and threats of sexual violence, according to Artigo 19.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the aim of demonstrating commitment to the preservation of democracy, both candidates should condemn any threats or attacks against journalists in the course of their work and should abstain from any discourse that incites violence.\u201d Said Daniel Bramatti, Abraji President.<\/p>\n

In March, unidentified aggressors shot at a bus carrying 28 reporters who were covering a Workers\u2019 Party event. Nobody was hurt. There are also reports of Workers\u2019 Party supporters harassing and threatening reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unacceptable for people to be threatened or attacked because of their work or political opinion. This has a disconcerting effect on the whole of society. We need the greatest freedom of expression in order to foster our democratic institutions.\u201d Said Laura Tresca, current Executive Director at Artigo 19 for South America.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttacks by supporters of presidential candidates against the press are unacceptable and unworthy of any political party that is striving to govern the country.\u201d Said Emmanuel Colombi\u00e9, Regional Director for Latin America at RSF. \u201cThe discourse of hatred and campaigns of false information are exacerbating tensions in an already divided society. RSF supports all Brazilian journalists, whose work during this turbulent period is essential.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harassment and threats against journalists are happening in the context of deep division and increased political violence against the LGBT community, women, black people and those who express different political views than their aggressors. In 8 October, a man killed Romualdo Ros\u00e1rio da Costa in a bar in Salvador, apparently after the man got annoyed when Costa revealed that he had voted for Fernando Haddad, the Workers\u2019 Party presidential candidate. Bolsonaro himself was the victim of an attack during a campaign event in September.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone can disagree with a media report and must have the right to do so publically. Threatening journalists and inciting others to do the same, not only puts journalists\u2019 personal safety at risk, but also harms freedom of expression and democracy.\u201d Said Maria Laura Canineu, Director at Human Rights Watch in Brazil. \u201cPresidential candidates must defend journalists\u2019 right to keep the public informed and the public\u2019s right to be informed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>","excerpt":"

Presidential candidates must condemn violence.<\/p>\n","author":2,"featured_media":26681,"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[7],"tags":[2173,12642,353,12735,12409,12772,12405,2413,12415,12773,429],"tema":[12278],"class_list":["post-14803","noticia","type-noticia","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2018-elections","tag-abraji-en","tag-article-19","tag-artigo-19-en","tag-bolsonaro-en","tag-cpj-en","tag-folha-de-s-paulo-en","tag-journalists","tag-patricia-campos-mello-en","tag-rsf-en","tag-violence","tema-democracy-and-human-rights-movement"],"acf":{"author":false,"subtitle-pt":"Presidential candidates must condemn violence."},"yoast":{"focuskw":"","title":"","metadesc":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","meta-robots-noindex":"","meta-robots-nofollow":"","meta-robots-adv":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","opengraph-title":"Journalists under threat during electoral 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