Page 8 - BMMGuru Monthly Issue 21

International News
#BMMGuruWeekly#BMMGuruWeekly
Brazilian Brazilian
Election Election
20182018
Brazilian general election, 2018 is in full swing in the
country to elect the President, Vice President and the
National Congress. Elections for state Governors
and Vice Governors, state Legislative Assemblies and
Federal District Legislative Chamber are be held at
the same time.
Rio de Janeiro congressman Jair Bolsonaro came
first in the first round of the election on the 7th of
October 2018 and the runoff is set to be on the 28th
of this month between him and former São Paulo
mayor Fernando Haddad.
But the Brazil elections is not what we're worried
about but the social media driving the campaign of
the far-right frontrunner and the abuse faced by
female journalists online.
Because Brazil is Facebook's third-largest market and
more than half of their population uses Whatsapp,
social media has become the new battleground in
Brazil's election.
Brazil's far-right presidential candidate, Jair
Bolsonaro, who is described by some as "Donald
Trump meets Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte", has
taken his political campaign has apparently turned
the mainstream media into his useful enemies.
Bolsonaro has made up for his relative absence on
TV screens with a massive social media presence.
He has 6.6 million Facebook followers. Bolsonaro
has also capitalized on the Facebook-owned app
WhatsApp as a way to promote his agenda.
And, the former São Paulo governor has been
stagnant in the polls, ranking fourth while his
competitors with less TV time come out ahead.
We all know information spreads on social media like
wildfire and the misinformation shared on the social
media platforms has become the reason for the
chaos occurring in Brazil at this time.
On the other hand, because social media gives one
anonymity, women journalists have been receiving
rape threats and sexual assaults, the language of
which is violent and disrespectful enough to be
extremely disturbing.
In this year?s election, there is no better example than
the rise of #EleNão (#NotHim). The movement has
its roots in a Facebook group called ?Women United
Against Bolsonaro,? which gained 1 million members
in less than two weeks after it kicked off at the end of
August this year. But on September 13, the group was
hacked by Bolsonaro supporters that changed the
name to ?Women United With Bolsonaro?.
The rejection rates for Bolsonaro remain much higher
and could play an important role in the anticipated
runoff on October 28, when the female vote could be
a determining factor.
Brazilian fact-checking organization Aos Fatos, which
translates to ?To The Facts", transcribed, researched
and published verifications on the comments of the
candidates in the presidential election.
In the past year alone, one of the few viral
misinformation on Brazilian social media has
included an anti-vaccination hoax about yellow fever
and false instructions on when to vote.
Facebook, Google and Twitter have all announced
measures to stop deceitful accounts and news
during Brazil?s elections. To reduce false
information?s reach, Facebook counts on
denunciations from users and partnerships with
third-party fact checkers certified by the Poynter
Institute?s International Fact-Checking Network.
- Zoyena Ansari
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