Brazil Advances in press freedom after Bolsonaro era, NGO Reports

By Jadson Lima – From Cenarium

MANAUS (AM) – A report by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Reporters Without Borders, released this Friday, the 2nd, shows that Brazil has advanced 19 positions in the press freedom ranking. In 2024, the country ranked 82nd out of 180 countries and has jumped to 63rd place this year. The study indicates that the improvement in the scenario is due to the normalization of relations between state institutions and the press, following the administration of Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022).

The report was released on the eve of World Press Freedom Day, established by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. The day marks the ongoing fight for press professionals’ freedom to investigate, publish, and inform society in a free, impartial, independent, and responsible manner.

According to the report, despite Brazil’s progress in the ranking, structural violence against journalists and disinformation represent “significant challenges to the advancement of press freedom” in the country. The data also shows that the challenges and obstacles to ensuring a free, pluralistic, and reliable information ecosystem are substantial. Reporters Without Borders advocates for a protection policy for professionals.

“The 1988 Federal Constitution guarantees the right to press freedom in the country and, in general, the Brazilian legislative framework is quite favorable to the free exercise of journalism. However, the challenges and obstacles to ensuring an information ecosystem still remain numerous. The country lacks a robust policy to protect journalists, which should be a priority considering the history of violence against the press,” says an excerpt from the publication.

The NGO also points out that the Bolsonaro administration helped foster violence against press professionals in Brazil through hostile statements toward reporters and media outlets that questioned government actions. Since 2023, the report states, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has taken a different approach, aiming to improve relations between the press and the government structure.

“The press was one of the main targets of the Bolsonaro government, which fostered a climate of permanent hostility against it. The arrival of the Lula government allowed, through a process of stabilizing democratic order, the normalization of relations between state institutions and the press. Public discourse in favor of journalism has had a tangible impact on journalists,” the study points out.

In the context of safety, the report states that Brazil is the second most dangerous country in Latin America for media professionals. Over the past 10 years, 30 journalists have been murdered. In 2022, the last year under Bolsonaro, three media professionals were killed, including British journalist Dom Phillips, who focused on covering environmental crimes in Indigenous Territories (ITs). He and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira went missing in June of that year in the Javari Valley, in Amazonas.

“Brazil is the second most dangerous country in the region during this period for journalists. Bloggers, radio hosts, and independent journalists working in small and medium-sized municipalities and covering corruption and local politics are the most vulnerable. In 2022, at least three murders were directly linked to journalistic activity,” the NGO mentions.

Threats to Press Freedom

UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated in a video published on Friday, the 2nd, that press freedom is facing an unprecedented threat. He warned about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which can support freedom but also suppress it, stated that blatant lies and hate speech are like landmines “on the highway of disinformation,” and called for a pact.

“Accurate, fact-based information is the best tool to disarm them. The Global Digital Compact, adopted last year, includes concrete measures to strengthen international cooperation to promote information integrity, tolerance, and respect in the digital space,” said the UN Secretary-General.

Edited by Izaías Godinho
Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves