The Role of Windowpane

09/18/2016 - 13h35

With the approval of Dilma Rouseff's impeachment and Michel Temer's ascension to the Presidency, protests have worsened across the country and the so called "black blocks" - violent groups involving a minority of protesters - have resurfaced.

In recent days, journalists and media organizations have been the victims of aggression from both police forces and protesters, in a worrying escalation of violence against the free flow of information.

A survey carried out by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) tabulated the total number of aggressions suffered by journalists since the protests of July 2013. There have been 294 incidents since then.

In 208 of the cases (70%), the violence against journalists was instigated by members of the public security forces. In 75 cases (25%), it originated with protesters.

The increase in 2016 in the proportion of aggressions against the media that were instigated by protesters is noteworthy.

From January through the 7th of September, there were 62 incidents; 33 (53%) perpetrated by the police and 25 (40%) by protesters.

On the 30th of August, Folha's headquarters was the final destination for a manifestation that was protesting against Dilma's impeachment. Around 40 people lay down in front of the newspaper's building in the form of the word "coup".

The next day, the day that the Senate approved the impeachment, various manifestations took place in different Brazilian cities.

In points in the center of São Paulo's capital, protesters clashed with the police, including in front of the Folha's headquarters.

Around 9 p.m., some of the protesters tried to break into the newspaper office and spray painted "coup monger" on the building's gate.

"Black blocks" threw stones and broke windowpanes. The police responded by firing tear-gas to disperse the protesters.

The newspaper covered the depredation in the September 1st edition with a photo, but without placing it on the cover and without including an inside title. This seemed like the proper attitude to me, without any intent to inflame the confrontation.

It is vital that such actions against the freedom of information are firmly, calmly and clearly condemned. It is shocking to see a newspaper like Folha suffer such an attack.

The rights of protest do not extend to violent actions of intimidation and depredation. Whether it originates in the police forces of from a minority of protesters, violence is not justifiable or acceptable.

Aggression against journalists and media organizations perpetuates the idea that the messenger is to blame for the information that he carries.

The press, with all of its eventual weaknesses and mistakes, is essential for venting oxygen into a democratic society. Suffocating it is an act against society.

Folha reacted in the September 2nd edition with an editorial entitled "Fascists on the loose".

The newspaper used tough language to condemn the violence of those followers of "black block" tactics and ended by making a comparison (erroneously in my opinion) to the Weimar Republic.

Cornered, it appealed to order and failed to mention that protesters and journalists alike were victims of police violence in the same manifestations.

As a consequence, long-term readers were shocked and dismayed. Many remembered the civic causes embraced by the newspaper and its constant affiliation with democratic values. For these readers, the newspaper had stumbled.

"The editorial is inconsistent because it doesn't respect the history of the fight for freedom and for civil liberties by Folha. I saw the pages of other newspapers, and there wasn't this inconsistency. But in Folha's pages, the inconsistency screams out from a newspaper that has always fought for democracy, liberty and the right to protest", complained reader Carlo Carrenho.

"The people went into the streets not in defense of the PT (Worker's Party), but of democracy, demanding their rights, the same campaign that has lifted this newspaper to the rank of the largest circulation printed newspaper in Brazil. Folha has forgotten it's very own history", said Ricardo Ferraz.

So along with a significant portion of readers, I also found Folha's editorial to be wanting, perhaps an inflamed reaction to the heat of the moment and the things that had had taken place. As a victim of unwarranted attacks, the newspaper reacted with belligerent words, which were unnecessary during a moment of heightened political tension.

Folha has a right to voice its own opinion, but shouldn't have served as an agent fomenting confrontation even if it was attacked first.

A course correction would be made on the 6th of September with an editorial entitled "Enough of confrontation", in which the newspaper appealed for common sense and called for a more qualified police force utilizing less violence in the suppression of conflicts.

"We urge an end to this deplorable script, the São Paulo Military Police needs to better prepare itself to deal with this kind of confrontation - starting with the obvious obligation to not initiate it."

Folha's credibility is its greatest asset. Independent of its own opinion, it must never again let the separation between editorial opinion and the news pages be ruptured.

Distempered manichean reactions, independent of the side from which they originate, don't contribute to good journalism.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

Read the article in the original language