Bolsonaro criticizes STF decision that punishes newspapers for interviewee’s speech

When speaking at a solemn session of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio Grande do Norte (ALRN) in honor of Motorcyclist Day, this Thursday (30), former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) criticized the decision of the Federal Supreme Court ( STF) that punishes the press for statements made by interviewees and suggested that, once in the STF, the current Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, will be able to exercise control over what may or may not be published by newspapers.

“A decision from another branch, which is not the Legislature, decided that, if anyone gives an interview and the newspaper publishes it, if there is fake news there, the press will be sued. And who’s to say if it’s fake news or not fake news? Nobody knows. Or someone appointed by someone in power, who has always preached social control of the media, always preached censorship. This doesn’t work,” declared Bolsonaro.

The former president also recalled his last speech as President of the Republic, when he gave a type of warning to journalists saying that they would miss his government.

“We are now together with the press. I have always been with the press and the press will now be with me. It’s called freedom. One of the last words I spoke when I was still there at Palácio da Alvorada was: ‘You’re going to miss me’. It’s not that I’m good, it’s also because the other person is very bad”, he said.

Also on Thursday (30), after the negative repercussion of the decision, the president of the STF, minister Luís Roberto Barroso, stated that the Supreme Court is “one of the main guardians of the press” and that punishment will only occur in cases of “intentional , bad faith or serious negligence” on the part of the media outlet.