The undeniable partisanship of the press

If the reader still needs some proof regarding the partisan behavior of major Brazilian newspapers, especially during election periods, I recommend reading the excellent book "The Continued Dictatorship – Facts, Factoids and Partisanship of the Press in the Election of Dilma Rousseff," the result of careful research conducted by Jakson Ferreira de Alencar, recently published by Paulus publishing house.

The book focuses on the political coverage offered by the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper and partly on the disclosure of the false "criminal" record from the DOPS archives of VAR-Palmares militant Dilma Rousseff, then a pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, on April 4, 2009.

Jakson Alencar meticulously follows the entire case over the following three months, recording the newspaper's "semi-retraction" in an anthological piece for the study of journalistic ethics, in which he acknowledges as an error "treating as authentic a file whose authenticity, based on the information available today, cannot be assured – nor can it be ruled out" (p. 67).

What stands out in the episode is the way the Folha reporter "conducted" the interview – which more closely resembled an interrogation – with Dilma. There is an undisguised attempt to prove the newspaper's hypothesis of the interviewee's involvement not only in the (non-existent) kidnapping of then-Minister Delfim Netto, but also in the armed struggle. The interview with another activist, Antonio Espinosa, used to support the newspaper's thesis, was never published in its entirety, despite the published excerpts having been repeatedly denied by the interviewee.

Jakson Alencar meticulously details the arrogant behavior of the newspaper, even as Dilma herself tried to prove the falsity of the document, in addition to the systematic disregard for its own style guide. The central thesis of the entire report becomes clear: "Resistance to the dictatorship is criminal, not the totalitarian and violent regime, implemented illegally" (p. 95), and, moreover, this thesis "continued to be disseminated in many Brazilian media outlets throughout the 2010 election campaign."

The second part of the book deals with the election campaign period, from April to August 2010. Here, the starting point is the 1st Democracy and Freedom of Expression Forum, promoted by the Millenium Institute in March. As is known, this NGO is one of the think tanks of the Brazilian conservative right, financed, among others, by the main groups of the mainstream media. According to Jakson Alencar, the "Operation Storm in the Cerrado" emerged at this forum, which would guide the political coverage of the major newspapers and would aim to prevent the election of Dilma Rousseff (p. 105).

Focusing on the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, the book reveals the daily efforts to resurrect past scandals and the search for new ones by the PT government, as well as missteps and negative issues related to Dilma. Simultaneously, it shows the lenient and negligent treatment given to the PSDB candidate.

In the third and final part, the book addresses Operation Second Round and covers the period from August 26 to October 3. From the moment the opinion polls confirmed the trend of Dilma's election, "a massive press campaign against the candidate begins on the eve of the election and a so-called 'silver bullet,' with the intention of altering the course of the campaign" (p. 145).

During this period, "accusations, inferences, and insinuations that turned into summary convictions" stand out (p. 147), especially the case of the alleged "dossier" prepared by the PT on PSDB leaders, with confidential tax data, and the "scandal" involving Dilma's then-substitute in the Civil House (note: the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region dismissed the case against Erenice Guerra for alleged influence peddling, after accepting a recommendation from the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office and by decision of Judge Vallisney de Souza Oliveira, of the 10th Federal Court, on July 20, 2012).

In his conclusions, Jakson Alencar states that "the coverage (by Folha de S. Paulo) (...) frequently mixed facts with opinions and rumors, adding to this other elements, such as bias, expressions of desires disguised as information, weak and illogical arguments, obvious strategies already worn out by repetitive use in various elections, inability to analyze socio-economic processes to construct positions and criticisms with a minimum of sophistication; flawed theses and hypotheses; biased narratives and interviews; sources of very low credibility" (p. 252).

Interestingly (or not?), around the same time that Paulus was publishing Jakson Alencar's book, PubliFolha was launching, in its "Folha Explica" collection, a book about Folha itself, written by Ana Estela de Souza Pinto, herself a journalist at the newspaper since 1988. In this book, the "error" regarding the false Dilma Rousseff file at the DOPS (Department of Political and Social Order) deserves mention due to "the fact that Folha turned its investigative focus to all government officials, from different parties." This is followed by a paragraph reproducing the "retraction" offered by Folha, already cited, in which, despite all the evidence to the contrary, it is stated that the authenticity of the DOPS file "cannot be assured – nor can it be ruled out." Not a single comment is made about the partisan coverage of the 2010 elections.

The result of all this, as we know, is that Dilma Rousseff – despite the mainstream media and her partisanship – was elected president of the Republic.

"The Continued Dictatorship – Facts, Factoids, and Partisanship in the Press during Dilma Rousseff's Election," by Jakson Alencar, demonstrates and confirms what we already know: the major Brazilian newspapers, besides being partisan, have no commitment even to their style guides.