Folha's ombudsman says nothing will be the same for the press.
Paula Cesarino Costa, ombudsman for the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, states that "nothing will be the same for the press after Bolsonaro's victory" and condemns the tone used by the retired captain's clan when criticizing the newspaper; "When cornered, Bolsonaro's standard response is to attack his accusers without regard for factual truth," she said, adding that his sons' behavior is no different; "The sons follow their father's lead, that is, they threaten journalists, call for uprisings against the press, and spin creative conspiracy theories without any basis in reality."
247 -ombudsman for the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper since April 2016, exposes The closing of a political cycle with Bolsonaro's victory, which had been in effect since the "cycle since redemocratization, completing 34 years in 2019," and "that nothing will be the same for the press."
She states that "the president who comes to power with the most belligerent discourse against the press and journalists. In this, as has been repeated ad nauseam, he emulates the American president, Donald Trump, whether out of infatuation or strategy."
The ombudsman also points to communication through social media as a new challenge for journalism. "In the present time, the press and journalists will have to learn, through trial and error, to deal with this type of government communication, which claims to dispense with traditional media, while at the same time benefiting from it, when its direct content is replicated to audiences infinitely larger than those of its original proponents."
Costa cites in his article the relationship that Bolsonaro established with the newspaper. "What best demonstrates the dangerous paths chosen by the president-elect was a simple and objective report, based on what is called factual truth: 'For the first time in the Republic, the ministry taking office will exclude the North and Northeast', published Folha on December 21st."
"The president's reaction on social media was furious: 'Folha de SP continues to practice dirty and low-level journalism. Now they insinuate a lack of representation from the North and Northeast regions in the ministries, as if being born in one of those regions translates to competence and not being born there signifies neglect and abandonment. They're going to get a rude awakening.'"
"When cornered, Bolsonaro's pattern is to attack his accusers without regard for factual truth," he points out.
She says that "the sons follow in their father's footsteps, that is, they threaten journalists, call for uprisings against the press, and spin creative conspiracy theories with no basis in reality. All of them, in moments of heightened questioning, repeat the same question on social media: 'Who ordered Bolsonaro's assassination?'"