By Maira Magro
A computer technician has confessed to sending false emails to 180 court judges in the state of Rio de Janeiro in the name of journalist Chico Otavio of O Globo newspaper. The messages are said to have been sent at the request of a former high-ranking judge, Roberto Wider, who resigned from his job after a series of news reports co-authored by Otavio last year accused Wider of involvement in fraudulent sentencing deals, O Globo explains.
The false messages asked the judges to share accusations against the president of the state court, O Globo explains. Their intention was to harm Otavio's credibility. Wider is also said to have asked the computer technician what actions might interfere with Otavio's reporting, G1 reports.
Wider says that the statements made by the computer technician are "lies," O Globo says.
The Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism (Abraji) says "evidence from the case show the grave use of a public position to obstruct freedom of expression and the practice of investigative journalism." The Journalists Union in the City of Rio de Janeiro points to "a clear attempt to attack press freedom, and to cause intimidation."
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
