Press entities criticized the interview carried out this Wednesday (4) with the main media outlets in Brazil.
The meeting with journalists was about the investigation into the coup plot involving the former president (). It took place at the corporation’s headquarters, in.
The general director of the PF, Andrei Rodrigues, was questioned by his advisor about the reasons for the veto, but did not want to comment. The , to whom the PF is subordinate, simply said that it would be up to the corporation to take a position.
Regarding the episode, the ANJ (National Newspaper Association) stated that it considered the exclusion of the Sheet in the interview. “It is incomprehensible that one of the country’s main journalistic outlets was not included in an act that should be an example of public transparency”, he stated in a statement.
“In defense of press freedom and impersonality in dealing with public issues, the entity expects a position from the Federal Police or the Ministry of Justice, to which it is subordinate, to explain this restriction to one of its associates.”
Katia Brembatti, president of Abraji (Brazilian Investigative Association), pointed out that the deliberate exclusion of a press vehicle was inappropriate.
“Not all media were invited, but the Sheet It is among the most relevant in the country and is usually on the list of those called for these events. Therefore, the exclusion is not random. The situation becomes even more worrying when this body does not even present a justification for excluding the vehicle from a press conference”, he stated.
She highlighted the importance of the press being treated equally.
“Specific issues, such as dissatisfaction with coverage, should not be treated with retaliation. It is worth highlighting that this attitude of the PF does not exclusively affect the Sheet or the journalistic category, but harms the entire society in its right to be informed about issues of public interest.”
Fenaj (National Federation of Journalists) repudiated any type of restriction on access to media outlets.
“Transparency and free access to information are fundamental pillars of democracy, and the exclusion of a vehicle of this size without justification constitutes an undemocratic and worrying practice”, he pointed out.
The organization highlighted the importance of public institutions acting with equality in their relations with the press, guaranteeing the constitutional right to information and the full exercise of journalism.
“We are following the case and we hope that the Federal Police will clearly state the reasons for this exclusion, to prevent similar episodes from happening again,” he said.
The ABI (Brazilian Press Association) said in a statement that it condemned the episode. “In a democracy, the relationship between authorities and press organizations must always be institutional. Even if one disagrees with the editorial line or has personal differences with the professional assigned to cover it. This is unacceptable,” he said.
The Union of Professional Journalists in the State of São Paulo also regretted what happened. “The free circulation of information includes the need for all professionals to be able to participate in coverage and press conferences without any type of embarrassment.”
Still on Wednesday, the general director of the PF was questioned personally by Sheetbut refused to give explanations.
“You sent an email there, right? [com pedido de posicionamento]? I’m not going to comment,” said the general director of the PF at the end of the Consesp (National Council of Public Security Secretaries) meeting.
This type of meeting between authorities and journalists is common in Brasília. Most of the time, information is given “off-the-record” — in journalistic jargon, when the source must not be identified.
It is unusual, however, to exclude press organizations that normally provide daily journalistic coverage of the summit of the three Powers.
A Sheet normally participates in this type of press conference, as long as the topics to be covered are relevant and of public interest.
The report obtained the full audio of the more than two-hour interview given by Andrei and three other PF directors to invited journalists.
The coup plot was the main topic addressed by the director general at the meeting, which dealt with topics he considered to be qualities of the police and their management, as well as possible gaps in the investigation, raised by journalists.
