PT prepares influencers for digital mobilization at the end of the campaign.

BRASILIA (Reuters) - In the final stretch of the second round of the presidential election, the campaign of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) is organizing a mobilization of digital communicators to react to Jair Bolsonaro's (PL) campaign on social media and launch an attack.

In a speech during a meeting with digital communicators this Tuesday—which, according to the campaign's communications coordinator, Edinho Silva, was watched by 13 people—Lula himself He asked the group not to just refute attacks and fake news, but also to present positive facts..

"We can't just act like we're the target, shielding ourselves with criticism. That's not enough. We can't just keep repeating 'Lula won't close churches.' We have historical proof. I was president for eight years, not eight days," he pleaded. "It's important (to refute fake news), but saying what we're going to do is extremely important."

The PT (Workers' Party) is attempting to counter the social media strategy traditionally dominated by Bolsonaro's team and organize responses after detecting what it considers an exponential increase in fake news against Lula in the final days of the campaign.

"We need to create a mobilization movement. On the other side, we have a structure that has been in place for a long time. In 2018, an absurd amount of fake news was generated in the final stretch," said Edinho, emphasizing that the same thing is happening now.

The Workers' Party (PT) has filed a request with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to open an investigation and remove 40 profiles from the networks, as well as identify another 34, that are distributing fake news against Lula and the party. In the petition, the party claims that this is an organized disinformation network.

"There is a group that discusses, organizes, and disseminates lies in an organized manner," Edinho accused.

In recent weeks, led by federal deputy André Janones (Avante-MG), influencers who support Lula's candidacy have begun to organize not only to refute, but to create events that have directly impacted Bolsonaro's campaign.

It was in this context that images of the president in a Masonic temple went viral—affecting part of the religious base of Bolsonaro's electorate—as well as the disturbances caused by the president's supporters at the Basilica of Aparecida and, most importantly, the interview in which Bolsonaro said that "a certain chemistry developed" with Venezuelan teenagers—whom he unfoundedly accused of being prostitutes.

The result was a week in which Bolsonaro's campaign, instead of attacking, focused on defending itself on social media, and was slow to react. At the beginning of this week, the reaction was directed at Janones: the Minister of the Civil House, Ciro Nogueira, used his party to request the congressman's removal from office. And the campaign asked the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) to suspend Janones' social media accounts.

Most of these influencers have no direct connection to the Workers' Party campaign, but they support Lula and have a significant follower base. Telegram groups were also created, in the same way that Bolsonaro supporters do, to distribute videos that refute fake news and also contain Bolsonaro's speeches, such as those about Venezuelan women or the statements he made during the Covid-19 pandemic.

COORDINATED ACTION

Responsible for initiating the digital guerrilla tactics in which the PT (Workers' Party), until now, lacked expertise, Janones asked influencers to work with coordinated actions.

"Bolsonarism 2.0 now operates with what I call human robots. They have a network of people who follow specific guidelines and distribute targeted material," he stated.

The congressman also stressed that influencers should not lose focus on Bolsonaro, and need to avoid targeting people who have declared their support for him, such as the country music singers who met with the president at the Alvorada Palace on Monday. The idea is to prevent criticism of the president's allies from generating an adverse reaction.

During the meeting, Senator Simone Tebet (MDB-MS), who received the third-highest number of votes in the first round of the election and allied herself with Lula in the second round, clarified the request to use less red and more white at the former president's events. She also said she sees many undecided voters who are afraid, and the campaign needs to focus on these people.

"It still surprises me how undecided our electorate remains and how influenced they are by fake news and a fear that is not understood. Now is not the time to preach to the converted. When I suggested the white of peace, it was in order to talk to these undecided voters, to combat this content that generates fear," he said.

Tebet also suggested that the campaign use technical content from the Covid CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry), in which she participated, as well as budget analyses conducted by congressional technicians that show the cuts made by the current government for 2023 in health, education, social assistance, and public housing programs.

"We must not only be on the defensive to combat fear-mongering content, but also generate truthful content about this government, which is inhumane and dishonest," he stated.

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