Video takes pastor’s statements out of context to the Covid CPI to attack vaccines – 07/10/2023 – Health

Video misinforms by including misleading caption in clippings of the testimony of Reverend Amilton Gomes de Paula to the CPI of Covid, in 2021. The piece of misinformation, verified by Projeto Comprova, suggests that the deponent regretted having hidden side effects of the vaccine. In fact, he was referring to his role as a middleman in the negotiations for the purchase of the Astrazeneca vaccine with suspected overpricing. Reverend Amilton was indicted by the CPI for influence peddling.

Comprova considers misleading content removed from the original context and used in another so that its meaning 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. When this verification was opened, on July 4, the post registered more than 32,000 likes and more than 20,000 shares on TikTok. After that, the video was deleted from the platform.

How do we check

First, as the witness in the video appears crying, we searched for the terms “cries CPI Covid” on Google. Thus, we identified, based on the news, that it was the Reverend Amilton de Paula.

The search returned a report by G1, with the title “Reverend who negotiated the sale of vaccines cries at the Covid CPI”; YouTube record from the Politics 360 portal, with the title “Reverend Amilton cries during the Covid CPI and asks “apologies to Brazil”; and from UOL, with the title “Reverend cries and admits guilt: “I wanted to have a vaccine for Brazil”. The videos published by UOL and Politics 360 highlight excerpts used in the uninformative publication.

Next, we searched for the full transcription of the reverend’s testimony in the Senate’s shorthand notes. In this source, it was possible to identify that the excerpts used in the disinformation piece were not continuous, but clippings from different excerpts positioned in sequence.

First cut of the video

Right at the beginning of the excerpt used in the uninformative publication, in which he states “I am to blame, yes”, the reverend answered questions from Senator Marcos Rogério, who questioned “what is your real role in all of this?”. The reverend’s response can be consulted at minute 15:40.

Second cut of the video

The second excerpt is from the question asked by Senator Omar Aziz (PSD), at minute 15:56, in which he says “What did you cry and regret?”, and Reverend Amilton replies: “having been in that vaccines”.

The video continues with Omar Aziz’s speech: “That’s right. And then, Senator Eduardo Girão, without wanting to politicize, without wanting to, but making comparisons, Pfizer sends 101 emails to the Ministry of Health, and the pastor manages, in hours , that the doors open for him —do you understand me?—, in a magic, in an amazing thing, isn’t it? Hence the Government’s argument is he didn’t pay, he didn’t pay. No, he made fun of the purchase of the vaccine. He receives it in hours, and the doors are opened for the reverend to enter the Ministry of Health, something that you cannot do, something that I cannot do, something that no senator can do here. But he fails to answer more than a hundred emails to Pfizer”.

the reverend

Amilton Gomes de Paula is a reverend and founder of the National Secretariat for Humanitarian Affairs (Senah), a non-governmental organization with no history of action in the field of vaccines. On August 3, 2021, he was heard by the Covid CPI and appointed as “intermediary” between the federal government and the company Davati Medical Supply in the negotiation of 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca immunizer.

The case was investigated based on reports of possible illegalities involving suspected attempts at overbilling and bribery. Gomes de Paula was appointed as mediator between the company and the Ministry of Health and scheduled negotiation meetings between the parties.

Relationship with the Bolsonaro family

A record from June 2019 shows the pastor in a meeting with one of the sons of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL).

Messages obtained by the CPI exchanged between Amilton and police officer Luiz Paulo Dominguetti —a representative of Davati Medical Supply who denounced the scheme for charging bribes for the sale of vaccines— showed that the pastor even told Dominguetti that he had met with the then president, Bolsonaro.

To the CPI, the reverend stated that he was lying in a message to the policeman and that the meeting would not have taken place. He said it was “bravado”. Also in his testimony, he stated that he participated in Jair Bolsonaro’s campaign for the presidency in 2018, but denied meeting him personally.

What the person responsible for the publication says

The uninformative content appears unavailable on the profile that posted the video on TikTok. The account in question does not allow the exchange of direct messages between profiles that do not follow each other. Therefore, it was not possible to contact.

What can we learn from this check

The post verified by Comprova uses a tactic common in misinformation pieces. It superimposes text claims over images that are not supported by the video content. Whoever creates this type of post has the inattention of readers who read the text, but do not access the video or cannot activate the audio. It is always advisable, when faced with a piece that motivates emotional reactions, to access the entire content. In this specific case, video editing gives clues that there were cuts. And when doubt arises about the veracity or integrity of the content, the best way is to search for news that can refute or confirm it.

why do we investigate

Comprova monitors suspicious content posted 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

Similar content was checked by Lupa and Aos Fatos. Comprova published several checks of disinformation content about vaccines against Covid-19, such as the one that proved that it is false that the European Parliament classified the vaccine as a biological weapon. He also explained that it does not cause AIDS, contrary to what Bolsonaro suggested live and showed the situation with the Astrazeneca vaccine and why his recommendation changed.

The investigation of this content was carried out by UOL and Estadão and published on July 7 by Projeto Comprova, a coalition that brings together 41 vehicles to check viral content. It was verified by Folha, O Popular and Grupo Sinos.