Journalist will be heard in group to combat extremism – 02/22/2023 – Politics

The working group created by the federal government this Wednesday (22nd) to propose strategies to combat hate speech and extremism will listen as an informal consultant to a reporter from Sheet Patricia Campos Mello.

The ordinance providing for the creation of the group, within the scope of the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, was published this Wednesday (22) in the “Official Gazette” of the Union.

The initiative takes place just over a month after the coup acts of January 8, when Bolsonarist militants invaded and destroyed the Planalto Palace, the National Congress and the Federal Supreme Court.

Due to a failure in communication, the ordinance initially included the name of Patrícia Campos Mello among the 24 representatives of civil society who will compose the working group. The journalist indicated that she could not formally participate in the group, due to her professional activities.

“As a journalist, I cannot officially participate in a government work group. I will only collaborate with opinions on the subject that I have been researching for many years, but without any formal link with the group”, stated Patrícia.

The incompatibility is defined in the Writing Manual of the Sheet. According to him, “it is the professional’s responsibility to pay attention to situations that cause a potential conflict of interest in daily work”.

“The journalist must obligatorily claim impediment and refuse stories about people and organizations with which he maintains a relationship that may limit or call into question his autonomy or exemption”, says an excerpt from the Manual.

The Ministry of Human Rights released a note in which it says it counts on Patrícia’s contributions as an expert on the subject.

“The Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship informs that the name of the journalist Patrícia Campos Mello will be withdrawn as a member of the working group created to combat speech and extremism. She had been invited, but due to professional incompatibility, she will not be able to officially participate in the project. journalist will be heard in due course by the WG, only as a specialist.

Patrícia researches the spread of fake news and hate speech over the internet, having published a series of reports in Sheet About the subject. In 2020, he published the book “A Máquina do Ódio” (Companhia das Letras) in which he deals with the subject and reports on the personal attacks he suffered from bolsonaristas.

Former president Jair Bolsonaro himself attacked her with profanity. Bolsonaro was convicted in two instances of the offenses.

The working group will be coordinated by former deputy Manuela d’Ávila (PC do B-RS), who was part of the candidate for vice president on the list headed by Fernando Haddad (PT) in 2018.

The group will comprise five representatives of the Ministry of Human Rights and another 24 representatives of civil society.

Participating in the group are influencer Felipe Neto, anthropologist Débora Diniz, psychoanalyst Christian Dunker, social scientist and academic Esther Solano, political scientist specialist in international relations Guilherme Casarões, anthropologist Isabela Oliveira Kalil and epidemiologist Pedro Hallal, among others.

Representatives of other government ministries will also be invited to participate in the group, including the AGU (Advocacy General of the Union), Education, Racial Equality, Justice, Women, Indigenous Peoples and the Presidency’s Communication Secretariat.

The group will initially act for a period of 180 days, a period that can be extended. In its first meeting, the working group will establish the calendar of meetings, its mode of operation and work plan with its specific objectives.

Among his responsibilities will be to advise the Minister of Human Rights, Silvio Almeida, on issues related to hate speech and extremism. They should also conduct studies and develop strategies to address these issues.