Most of the disqualifications, insults and even threats to journalists and the media were attributed to supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, the extreme right, defeated at the polls by the current Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
According to the study, 132 messages of this type were published on Bolsonaro's own official profiles, shared and amplified by favorable comments? 26,2 million times.
"As in previous years, Bolsonaro continued to be the main source of attacks on the 'media' and with his ability to penetrate networks, he expanded messages against journalism and journalists“, said the director of Bites, Manoel Fernandes.
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The study was based on publications on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter e Instagram, but did not consider those transmitted through messaging services, such as WhatsApp and Telegram, whose traffic is private and cannot be measured.
In addition to networks, the report also cited 137 cases of non-lethal violence against journalists, such as punching, kicking and shoving, which worsened during the election period.
The attacks on the Internet led the Brazilian Congress to debate a bill that tightens the rules for the dissemination of hate messages on social networks, which in recent months have even included threats to schools, which in some cases have even suffered violence and attacks. deaths.
The subject generated intense controversy, mainly after the reaction of some companies, such as Google and Telegram, which considered this parliamentary discussion an attempt at censorship that could threaten freedom of expression and their businesses, since they also profit from the circulation of disinformation.
