MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Eclectic Bolsonaro declares he would no longer speak to journalists, following criticism from reporters union
“I want to speak with you, but the national journalism association says that when I speak, I attack them, and as I am a person of peace, I will not give more interviews” A frequent and fiery critic of Brazil's media, President Jair Bolsonaro declared on Wednesday he would no longer speak to journalists. Bolsonaro made the remarks outside his official residence in Brasilia where most mornings for the past year he has fielded questions from reporters and greeted fans.
“I want to speak with you, but the national journalism association says that when I speak, I attack them,” Bolsonaro told reporters. “As I am a person of peace, I will not give more interviews.”
The move comes after the National Federation of Journalists said last week Bolsonaro's presidency had “significantly affected the freedom of the press in Brazil.”
It registered 208 attacks - including physical and verbal - against the media or journalists in 2019, an increase of 54% compared with the previous year.
Bolsonaro was responsible for more than half of the incidents, it said. He mostly used public statements such as speeches, interviews or tweets to attack the media.
Since his election campaign in 2018, Bolsonaro has often lashed out at reporters or outlets.
Bolsonaro said in July that US journalist Glenn Greenwald - who was charged with cybercrimes on Tuesday - could “do jail time” over the publication of leaked chats that threatened to undermine a massive corruption probe.
In a speech to the UN General Assembly in September, Bolsonaro accused the media of “lying” about the extent of fires raging in the Amazon.
The following month Bolsonaro announced he had cancelled his subscription to the respected daily Folha de S. Paulo.
He also threatened to cancel TV Globo's broadcasting license over a report linking him to a person accused of murdering a Rio de Janeiro councilwoman.
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Read all commentsWhat a wimp. UK tabloids are 20 times as vicious as the Brazilian media; Meghan Markle got savaged by the them for the terrible crimes of not wearing a hat and daring to touch her baby bump in public.
Jan 23rd, 2020 - 11:58 am +1If Bolsonaro doesn't like it, maybe he should go hide out in Canada, too.
“As to calling him a wimp...”
Jan 23rd, 2020 - 09:13 pm +1I was joking, but to be honest the UK press couldn't have been more biased against Corbyn, and he's never threatened to take his ball home or put journalists in jail. It does make B seem overly sensitive. Our tabloids really are 20 times worse; they're 80% invasive and mean spirited celebrity gossip and 20% right-wing propaganda designed to benefit their billionaire owners.
The Tories hardly needed fake news in the last election with most of the media shilling for them night and day (although they created some anyway). No one cares about the truth anymore.
As for Brazil, maybe B claiming to be a 'person of peace' was meant to be ironic? It's hardly surprising the press dislike someone who threatens them with jail or taking away their licences.
PS. What colour is his underwear? According to the Daily Mail, Prince Harry wears boxers from 'upcycling' brand Sir Plus. Guess they didn’t find anything better to report on...
No one who'd rather his son be dead than gay has his heart in the right place.
Jan 24th, 2020 - 11:13 pm +1The 'juiz de garantias' sounds like a good idea in principle, so what's the problem? It's still cheaper than a jury trial, which most other countries do.
“That is pure bs”
Glenn Greenwald was charged with cybercrimes 3 days ago. That's action, not just talk, and no ordinary journalist can feel safe in Brazil.
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