Killing of cattle in Bahia is unrelated to the MST – 05/26/2023 – Power

It is a misleading post according to which the MST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra) would have quartered cattle in occupation in a rural area. “Live oxen were cut in half by MST criminals, support of Lula’s misgovernment”, informs one of the posts, on Twitter.

The video is real, but it does not show the result of MST action. Report from the program “Bahia no Ar”, from RecordTV Itapoan, which shows the same recording, informs that the oxen were killed by eight bandits, according to the police, on a farm in the municipality of Conde, in Bahia —and not in Santa Catarina, how they misinform posts that went viral. The crime took place in the early hours of April 18. The reporter says that the gang tried to take the meat to sell it on the illegal market, but had to abandon it because the truck got stuck. Local sites in Bahia also recorded the robbery (Esplanada News, Informe Baiano).

The posts also state that the MST is supported by the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). The head of the Executive has, in fact, a historical relationship with the MST, but the history between them is also full of friction, coming from both sides, as reported by the Sheet.

In the report, the MST press office said it was yet another case of disinformation against the group, in a “clear attempt to criminalize and spread hatred against the movement.”

Misleading, for Comprova, is content removed from the original context and used in another so that its meaning undergoes changes; that uses inaccurate data or that induces an interpretation different from the author’s intention; content that is confusing, with or without the deliberate intent to cause harm.

Reach

Comprova investigates suspicious content with greater reach on social networks. On Kwai, posts with the misleading video had been viewed nearly 2,000 times as of May 25, and on Twitter, nearly 600 times.

How do we check

The first step was to search for the context of the video recording and whether it was real, that is, it had not suffered any image or sound tampering. Searches were carried out on search engines for news about cattle attacks in Brazil in 2023 and whether the images contained in the articles were similar to the verified video.

The existing audio in the video was analyzed to identify any speech that could indicate the location and date of the event. From the accent and vocabulary used by the man who narrates the video, it was possible to perceive that he was someone from the Northeast of Brazil.

This finding led to the restriction of research to crimes that occurred in the region. The survey was also carried out on social media. On TikTok, a publication was found in which a user watches a report by RecordTV Itapoan about a crime involving the killing of an ox in Conde, Bahia, with the same images as the video verified here.

When researching the April 2023 case, the images in the news were the same, as well as the lines used in the video narration. Comprova requested that the complete report be sent to RecordTV Itapoan, but received no response.

The Civil Police of Bahia was also contacted for more details on the case, but there was no response either, and the MST press office.

What the person responsible for the publication says

The report tried to contact profiles that published the content, but there was no response until the publication of this text.

What can we learn from this check

The posts use real video but take the images out of context, a common tactic among misinformers. The scenes are shocking and, when seeing content like this, being associated with a well-known social group in Brazil, the MST, be wary. If that were true, wouldn’t the professional press have covered the case? The alert would already start there, because, when searching the internet for words like “MST” and “dead oxen”, the results do not show anything similar to what is shown in the video.

Another point of attention is the end of the caption that appears over the video. She says “Viralization is everyone’s obligation”. Misinformers often use this technique to disseminate dubious content. So, when you come across publications with messages that ask for immediate sharing, also be suspicious.

why do we investigate

Comprova monitors suspicious content published on social networks and messaging apps about public policies and elections at the federal level and opens investigations for those publications that have achieved greater reach and engagement. You can also suggest checks via WhatsApp +55 11 97045-4984. Suggestions and questions related to questionable content can also be sent to Sheet via WhatsApp 11 99486-0293.

Other checks on the topic

The MST is a frequent target of disinformation content. Recently, for example, Comprova found a misleading post by a deputy who associated an occupation in an upscale neighborhood in São Paulo with the movement, Boulos and Lula. Last year, the Project classified it as a false title used in a publication saying: “Agribusiness must be eliminated from the land, says Lula and MST”.

The investigation of this content was carried out by Folha and O Popular, published on May 26 by Projeto Comprova, a coalition that brings together 41 vehicles to check viral content. It was verified by Estadão, A Gazeta, Plural and Grupo Sinos.