Lula purges Brazil's media after election victory
Journalist Kariane Costa will be the new president of 'Empresa Brasileira de Comunicação' after the dismissal of the previous board for not correctly informing Lula about the incidents of January 8.
29 October 2022, Brazil, São Paulo: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil who is running for re-election, casts his vote at a polling station during the second round of the presidential election. Photo: Lincon Zarbietti/dpa
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a decree to dismiss the management of all Brazilian public media. He did so as a result of the media's management of the incidents of January 8.
The media coverage that occured during the assault on the Three Powers Square in Brasil was not what was expected by the ruling party, which has now decided to carry out a purge to place managers more in line with a public media more sympathetic to the new government. According to Folha de Sao Paulo, Lula's leftist administration was not happy that the country's public media used the term "protesters" instead of "vandals" or "coup supporters" to refer to the followers of former President Bolsonaro.
The decision includes the appointment of journalist Kariane Costa, as the new president of Empresa Brasileira de Comunicação (EBC), in which key media outlets such as the news agency Agencia Brasil, TV Brasil and the radio station Radio Nacional depend. The move marks the beginning of a transition and reorganization process at EBC that will last about 30 days.
At the head of the public media conglomerate, several executives appointed during the previous administration of Jair Bolsonaro have remained to date. The events of January 8 are being used as an opportunity for Lula to appoint others more in line with his political ideology. Karinane Costa is no stranger to the Brazilian media scene. The journalist had several conflicts with EBC during Bolsonaro's term in office. In September 2022, Costa was dismissed "with just cause" from EBC after denouncing moral harassment against company workers to the Ombudsman. The journalist was accused of committing slander and defamation against the same company she will lead from now on.
"The composition of the transition process, which brings together employees of the company, but also representatives of society and professionals in the area, demonstrates our commitment to public communication and to the integrity and strengthening of EBC," said Minister Paulo Pimenta in an attempt to justify this new power assault on the media.
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