Brazil Expert Report-1.pdf

The freedoms of opinion and the press are unrestricted and generally respected. The national media are free from federal government pressures, but the economic pressure of government advertising and the use of regulatory power are important. The media express a wide variety of views and journalists are generally free to report on corruption involving public authorities. In fact, the media time and again have played a central role in uncovering corruption scandals. In contrast to alarming developments in some other Latin American countries in recent years, Brazilian governments have not tried to limit the freedom of the media by pressures applied through lawsuits, arbitrary arrests, verbal attacks, restrictive laws or the manipulation of official advertising. In spite of serious differences with the media, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff prevented her party from seeking to implement a project for social control of the media. The broadcasting environment in Brazil is characterized by a strong commercial sector, alongside weak public and community broadcasting. The media provide vigorous reporting on controversial issues and government performance, but media ownership is highly concentrated and information is often biased in favor of private power interests. While Brazil’s national media enjoy unrestricted freedom, the media in some provinces are frequently subject to violent attacks and abuses of power by local officials. In many states, there is only one local media conglomerate, often controlled by political groups. INCRA Brazil Expert Report 8