Disarming Disinformation Research: Brazil Case Study

We assess the situation in Brazil, focusing on the strategies adopted by two very different Brazilian news outlets to navigate the whirlwind of manipulation and false content that has shaken the foundations of trust in Brazilian institutions over the past decade. We conducted 37 in-depth interviews alongside research roundtables, including with editors-in-chiefs from the nationally significant newspaper Folha de S. Paulo and the digital only news collective Tapajós de Fato, based in the Amazon. Our researchers Dr. Maria Cleidejane Esperidião and Thayane Guimarães took a boat up the Amazon to reach the remote communities served by Tapajós de Fato.

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Additionally, we conducted a representative survey of 1,003 Brazilian adults to help understand public perceptions of disinformation, the safety of journalists, and the role of media in Brazil.
 

TOP 10 FINDINGS

• Disinformation is a feature of violence against Brazilian journalists, in particular those who challenge and expose false narratives, which fuels an environment of risk. Coordinated disinformation campaigns routinely involve smears against journalists designed to undercut trust in their factual reporting, exposing them to increased risk. Our interviewees described threats of physical violence, attacks on their property and pets. This physical threat is fuelled by pervasive anti-press narratives, smear campaigns and Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV).
   
• Avoidance of ‘bothsidesism’ and the act of ‘calling a lie a lie’ are deployed as counter-disinformation strategies. There is a move to reframe the concept of objectivity to avoid false balance in coverage, and examples of new editorial guidelines which employ more ‘honest’ language, such as describing the act of politicians deliberately sprouting falsehoods as “lying.”
   
• Tapajós de Fato’s innovative counter-disinformation work is characterized by ‘deep listening’ and meaningful community engagement, emphasising issues and communities not covered by mainstream outlets. This effort is operated by journalists born or raised in the Amazon region. They used their connections with social movement leaders to tackle climate disinformation by hosting immersive and active listening sessions with community members to understand the environmental changes residents perceived, and how these impacted their livelihoods.
   
• Diversified counter-mis/disinformation strategies are more effective than isolated approaches. Connecting editorial strategies, partnerships, innovative content distribution methods and media literacy activities can be essential to tackling disinformation in a continent-sized country with a highly diverse population, many of whom live in remote areas. Strategic partnerships with universities or civil society organizations, for example, can fill resource gaps.
   
• Digital forensics methods and tools are valuable to investigations into disinformation campaigns. Folha partnered with a private company specializing in tracking narratives in public instant messaging groups such as WhatsApp and Telegram to help focus their work on exposing coordinated disinformation campaigns with significant public engagement.
   
• Going low-tech is a necessary strategy to reach low-connectivity communities vulnerable to disinformation. Tapajós de Fato distributes audio content on USB drives by boat to offline communities in remote areas. Forming partnerships with local community radio stations in the Amazon region allows the information to be played over loudspeakers.
   
• Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs are a feature of counter-disinformation strategies. These range from implementing internship programs to address the lack of non-white journalists in newsrooms, to building teams entirely composed of people born in the territories covered by the newsroom. When news outlets’ staff reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, they are more likely to be trusted.
   
• The majority (58%) of Brazilian adults express a high level of concern about encountering false or misleading news according to our representative survey. Political ideology reveals a more notable divide, with liberals (72%) reporting significantly higher concern compared to moderates (59%) and conservatives (54%).
   
• Nearly half (46%) of Brazilian adults reported encountering attacks on Folha de S. Paulo or its journalists that seemed intended to undermine their credibility. However, nearly a quarter (23%) said they never see, read or hear about such attacks.
   
• 65% of Brazilian adults see attacks on journalists by senior politicians or government officials as a major threat to media freedom. Yet, a quarter of respondents do not share this view, with 17% considering such attacks only a minor threat and 8% not seeing them as a threat at all.

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This research was published by ICFJ in partnership with the City St. George’s (University of London), with lead support from Scripps Howard Foundation. Additional support for research was provided by the Gates Foundation and the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM).