International Affairs
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Echoes from Brazil
Big Press & Good Press
When sketching a panorama of Brazil's state of affairs, the first observation that comes to mind is that the country has been victim of disinformation on the world level. Nonetheless, the truth
is disseminating today in broad spectrums of public opinion due to the free circulation of ideas in the social media.
To shed some light on this picture, I write, trying to quash the confusion promoted by the Big Press and supported by the Big Money. It is obvious that ":Big" here is not synonymous with Good.
When I say Big Press, I am referring to the large Brazilian newspapers - O Globo, Folha de São Paulo and O Estado of São Paulo, Rede Globo TV network numbered among the largest in the world, and a few popular weekly magazines - Veja and Época.
On the other hand, the influence of independent organs such as Radio Joven Pan Online or journalists from the "traditional" press, such as Alexandre Garcia and Luiz Lacombe among many others, has grown significantly. Without commitments to pre-determined agendas, they reach millions of electronic subscribers. With no significant commercial sponsors, they are publishing information habitually silenced by the old press, as it is now called.
Another novelty is the presence of independent sites such as @Kim Paim, @Jornal da Cidade Online and @Te Atualizei and others, which are self-financed or receive personal donations from their followers. These sites have grown to the point that they compete with the Big Press televisions stations such as Globo News and CNN Brazil as well as their websites. More and more Brazilians are freeing themselves from the shackles holding them hostage to the 'official information' from those press vehicles that continue to stage a theatrical competition among themselves.
The Brazilian political establishment includes the major parties - the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores - PT), the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (Partido da Social Democracia Brasiliera - PSDB), and the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro - PMDB). These parties alternatively have shared the Executive Power for the last 30 years. The establishment also includes associations such as the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Federação Brasileira de Bancos - FEBRABAN) and the National Confederation of Industries (Confederação Nacional da Indústira - CNI), to name just the most relevant.
A network of elites from the Judicial Power, the Law and commerce form a discrete but omnipresent network of influencers who interact with the press.
A continuous inter-communication among these various sectors is what has formed in this country the dominant opinion of the last decades. Today, however, these forces are being confronted by the lively presence, speeches and actions of the conservative right through channels on the web, new digital vehicles like Twitter - which has become the new Agora of our times (the square in Athens where the Greeks freely discussed and decided the issues of their city). Millions of persons have gained a voice there and awakened from their lazy indifference.
Unfortunately, this right has neither strong organization nor sufficient articulation. Thus, it has uneven conditions to wage this important war against the established Big Press. Notwithstanding, it keeps growing and speaking louder every day.
The result is a climate of confrontation and polarization that has taken over Brazilian society. For the unwitting observer, the waters are murky and many hesitate between believing or disbelieving the Big Press.
Some more expressive examples of this hesitancy are the law suits against the Bolsonaro Administration sponsored by small radical leftist parties such as Sustainable Net (Rede Sustentabilidade) or Socialism and Liberty Party (Partido Socialismo e Liberdade - PSOL). Due to the complicity of the Judicial Power still controlled by the left, the conservative banners have been systematically defeated in these battles. In many decisions against the conservatives, prison sentences have been issued to defendants even before the trial ends … under unproved allegations of spreading fake news.
A quick glance at the situation makes evident the fraud employed by the Big Press.
A striking example of this: The alarmist and intimidating headlines about Covid, which were used to control the population for two years, suddenly disappeared. No talk about the spectacular reduction of fatalities, the increasing number of beds available in the hospitals’ intense therapy units, the medications that can cure the sickness. Today, that fear is being replaced by a general impression that the population was the victim of a great fraud, to the point that the China plague has been labeled a fraudemic…
But the show of hypocrisy continues. Another case would be the Brazilian Carnival, which was supposed to be from February 26 to March 1 and was transferred to April 20 to 23. The alleged reason was the danger of the Covid variant Omicron.
However, State and City authorities closed their eyes to the great number of spontaneous Carnival street manifestations. The Brazilian people went to the streets to dance, sing and drink. The Big Press covered those celebrations with sympathy, without any reference to contagion, mask wearing or social distancing, which were ignored by those in the streets. Again, what about the danger of Covid contagion? Why did the Big Press not panic?
But here is the final pearl: During those days when Carnival was suspended, Brazilians crowded the beaches. Again, we saw that the Big Press forgot to complain about masks, social distancing etc. However, when President Bolsonaro appeared on one those beaches without a mask and was greeted enthusiastically by many persons, the Big Press was quick to criticize him for irresponsibly drawing crowds on the beach and endangering their health. What hypocrisy!
After the last presidential election, the Brazilian left was disoriented for a while, but it soon charged back into the arena fighting to win the public opinion it had lost. Its main weapon is the lie disguised under different narratives. Hence we see the importance of unveiling its maneuvers, as in the case of the purported efficacy of the vaccine and silence about its many deleterious side effects, including death.
This is how the Big Press acts to manipulate the public as much as it can. But there is also a Good Press that is growing and represents the conservatism that exists in the depth of the Brazilian people.
I believe something like this is happening in many countries of the Hispanic American countries, and also in the United States.
To shed some light on this picture, I write, trying to quash the confusion promoted by the Big Press and supported by the Big Money. It is obvious that ":Big" here is not synonymous with Good.
Although the dependence of Big Media on Big Money continues, its credibility goes down
On the other hand, the influence of independent organs such as Radio Joven Pan Online or journalists from the "traditional" press, such as Alexandre Garcia and Luiz Lacombe among many others, has grown significantly. Without commitments to pre-determined agendas, they reach millions of electronic subscribers. With no significant commercial sponsors, they are publishing information habitually silenced by the old press, as it is now called.
Another novelty is the presence of independent sites such as @Kim Paim, @Jornal da Cidade Online and @Te Atualizei and others, which are self-financed or receive personal donations from their followers. These sites have grown to the point that they compete with the Big Press televisions stations such as Globo News and CNN Brazil as well as their websites. More and more Brazilians are freeing themselves from the shackles holding them hostage to the 'official information' from those press vehicles that continue to stage a theatrical competition among themselves.
The Brazilian political establishment includes the major parties - the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores - PT), the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (Partido da Social Democracia Brasiliera - PSDB), and the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro - PMDB). These parties alternatively have shared the Executive Power for the last 30 years. The establishment also includes associations such as the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Federação Brasileira de Bancos - FEBRABAN) and the National Confederation of Industries (Confederação Nacional da Indústira - CNI), to name just the most relevant.
Jornal da Cidade: ‘The persecution of conservatives - A shame for the Brazilian Judicial Power’
A continuous inter-communication among these various sectors is what has formed in this country the dominant opinion of the last decades. Today, however, these forces are being confronted by the lively presence, speeches and actions of the conservative right through channels on the web, new digital vehicles like Twitter - which has become the new Agora of our times (the square in Athens where the Greeks freely discussed and decided the issues of their city). Millions of persons have gained a voice there and awakened from their lazy indifference.
Unfortunately, this right has neither strong organization nor sufficient articulation. Thus, it has uneven conditions to wage this important war against the established Big Press. Notwithstanding, it keeps growing and speaking louder every day.
The result is a climate of confrontation and polarization that has taken over Brazilian society. For the unwitting observer, the waters are murky and many hesitate between believing or disbelieving the Big Press.
Some more expressive examples of this hesitancy are the law suits against the Bolsonaro Administration sponsored by small radical leftist parties such as Sustainable Net (Rede Sustentabilidade) or Socialism and Liberty Party (Partido Socialismo e Liberdade - PSOL). Due to the complicity of the Judicial Power still controlled by the left, the conservative banners have been systematically defeated in these battles. In many decisions against the conservatives, prison sentences have been issued to defendants even before the trial ends … under unproved allegations of spreading fake news.
A quick glance at the situation makes evident the fraud employed by the Big Press.
A striking example of this: The alarmist and intimidating headlines about Covid, which were used to control the population for two years, suddenly disappeared. No talk about the spectacular reduction of fatalities, the increasing number of beds available in the hospitals’ intense therapy units, the medications that can cure the sickness. Today, that fear is being replaced by a general impression that the population was the victim of a great fraud, to the point that the China plague has been labeled a fraudemic…
During the 2022 Carnival Brazilians danced & sang without care about masks & social distancing
However, State and City authorities closed their eyes to the great number of spontaneous Carnival street manifestations. The Brazilian people went to the streets to dance, sing and drink. The Big Press covered those celebrations with sympathy, without any reference to contagion, mask wearing or social distancing, which were ignored by those in the streets. Again, what about the danger of Covid contagion? Why did the Big Press not panic?
But here is the final pearl: During those days when Carnival was suspended, Brazilians crowded the beaches. Again, we saw that the Big Press forgot to complain about masks, social distancing etc. However, when President Bolsonaro appeared on one those beaches without a mask and was greeted enthusiastically by many persons, the Big Press was quick to criticize him for irresponsibly drawing crowds on the beach and endangering their health. What hypocrisy!
After the last presidential election, the Brazilian left was disoriented for a while, but it soon charged back into the arena fighting to win the public opinion it had lost. Its main weapon is the lie disguised under different narratives. Hence we see the importance of unveiling its maneuvers, as in the case of the purported efficacy of the vaccine and silence about its many deleterious side effects, including death.
This is how the Big Press acts to manipulate the public as much as it can. But there is also a Good Press that is growing and represents the conservatism that exists in the depth of the Brazilian people.
I believe something like this is happening in many countries of the Hispanic American countries, and also in the United States.
Posted March 25, 2022
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