Combatting the Gossipers

01/23/2017 - 13h51

Conspiracy theories propagate where there is lots of tension - political, social or emotional - a lots of obscurity. They feed off of what is misunderstood, unexplored, and unrevealed.

The death of Federal Supreme Court (STF) Minister Teori Zavascki is one of those cases which challenges the capacity of the Brazilian press to counteract rumors with verified and transparent information.

A prominent figure who is confronting powerful political and economic groups dies in a plane crash that killed four others in nebulous circumstances.

The tragedy takes on darker outlines because among the victims is a businessman famed for his 'high life' and the presence of two women whose identity took a long time to be divulged.

The elements summarily exposed here are more than sufficient to grease the wheels of the machinery elaborating conspiracy theories.

In addition to the general perplexity, there immediately began to circulate the most widely varying versions of the story - none based on concrete facts - regarding the plane crash and the supposedly intimate secrets of the victims.

A key figure in the largest corruption investigation ever conducted, the overseer of the Car Wash Operation had been planning to seal and make public the content of 77 plea-bargain agreements with Odebrecht executives in February.

It comprises nearly 800 depositions which reveal corruption and diversion of public funds on the part of two hundred politicians.

The press cannot disregard any possibility in its investigations. It must seek precise technical information that explains the accident.

Nearly all aviation specialists point to bad weather as having played a preponderant role. There were no explosions and there was apparently sufficient fuel. The pilot was experienced and knew the route.

The possibility of sabotage provoking the crash of an airplane an hour after takeoff is considered minimal by those with technical expertise but not completely discarded. The Minister's son confirmed that the family had been receiving threats.

One of noblest values of Teori Zavaski's Car Wash oversight was the constant transparency of his actions. In his memorial, the press and other institutions should follow this precept to the maximum extent possible.

This is the only way to prevent the perpetuation of spiced up versions of conspiracy theories.
A more sensitive aspect, from either an ethical or moral standpoint, is the relationship between the victims.

Some are questioning what interests a businessman had in offering a flight and accommodations to a Minister of the STF.

Carlos Alberto Filgueiras, owner of the Emiliano Hotel, was fighting an action at the Supreme Court accusing him of illegal construction in an environmentally protected area.

He was also the partner of banker André Esteves, who had previously been arrested in the Car Wash operation.

I tend to view this kind of camaraderie as inappropriate. But no one lives in a bubble. Judges maintain bonds of friendship. Here we also need to be transparent.

There is legitimate reason to investigate interests that Filgueiras has that are moving before the STF.

However, if no decision by the Minister is proven to have favored him in any way, there is no basis for condemning the relationship between the two. It is imperative, therefore, that the investigation be conducted carefully.

The two women who were accompanying them have been the victims of crude commentaries, many times employing code language. The Folha messed up regarding this subject.

Reader Thiago Raposo complained that "in its eagerness to punch a hole in the reporting", the newspaper lent itself to the role of spreading misogynistic conjectures.

It described photos posted on social networks of one of the victims from a chauvinistic point of view, emphasizing her red-dyed hair, tattoos, and the fact that she practiced belly dancing.

I agree with the reader that the citation was made out of context and fed to erroneous and unjust perceptions.

This is the kind of screw-up that there is no room for in a quality newspaper. The privacy of the victims should be protected, unless there is some overriding public interest to the contrary.

The death of Teori Zavascki should serve as a warning to journalism regarding the risks that it represents. Not from gossipers.

The STF will have to define a new overseer and, by extension, the future of the Car Wash.

Maintaining the characteristics of independence, transparency, respect for legal norms and procedures and the right to independent counsel are critical for the country to move forward in the midst of a turbulent investigation.

Zavascki preached that all information from judicial proceedings should be made public that wouldn't compromise future investigations.

The following is a centennial diagnosis from Louis Brandeis (1856-1941), a Judge on the United States Supreme Court: "[Transparency] is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants".

It is up to the press to demand of his successor that the Car Wash Operation proceed in the same fashion.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

Read the article in the original language