MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil: Bolsonaro fined for abusing reporters verbally

The journalists' union recorded 175 attacks by Bolsonaro against the press in 2020 alone

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced Thursday by a Sao Paulo court to pay journalists R$ 50,000 (US$ 9,900) for collective moral damages which will go to the State Fund for the Defense of Diffuse Rights.

The Higher Private Law Court's ruling has thus exhausted all appeals available and has become final in the case filed by the Union of Professional Journalists of the State of São Paulo after Bolsonaro allegedly attacked news professionals systematically in an aggressive manner in his speeches and on social media.

The union recorded 175 attacks by Bolsonaro against the press in 2020 alone. The source is the report “Violence against journalists and press freedom in Brazil” by the National Federation of Journalists, which has collected examples of homophobic attacks, name-calling, and attacks on female journalists during interviews and even the threat to punch a professional. Bolsonaro was also said to encourage his supporters to attack the press as well.

Thursday's ruling upheld a previous decision by Judge Tamara Hochgreb Matos passed in June 2022. At the time, the magistrate found that the former head of state had exceeded the limits of freedom of expression “by offending the reputation and subjective honor of journalists” and imposed a R$ 100,000 (US$ 19,800) fine on the defendant.

“By offending the reputation and subjective honor of journalists, insinuating that women can only get a scoop if they seduce someone, making use of homophobic jokes and xenophobic comments, vulgar expressions and low slang, and worse, threatening and encouraging his supporters to assault journalists, the defendant manifests, with verbal violence, his hatred, contempt and intolerance against press professionals, disqualifying and despising them, which constitutes a manifest practice of hate speech, and evidently extrapolates all the limits of constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression,” reads an excerpt from the sentence. Bolsonaro's defense appealed that decision.

“This is a victory not only for press freedom but also for democracy, which demands respect for journalistic activity,” said Lawyer Raphael Maia of the plaintiff's legal team.