After a tumultuous first round of municipal elections in Brazil for journalists, who suffered censorship and attacks by candidates or their supporters, the second round elections, which took place on Sunday, Oct. 28, saw similar levels of violence against reporters in the South American country.
On the night of the election, a reporting team from the Gazeta network in Espíritu Santo was the target of attacks by supporters of Neucimar Fraga, a defeated mayoral candidate for Vila Velha. Reporter André Falcão and cameraman Wagner Martins were injured. The cameraman fainted and was trampled by the crowd, according into CBN. Martins was rescued and admitted to a hospital with bruises on his face and other parts of his body but he was discharged on Monday, Oct. 29.
Reporters from Rádio CBN Vitória were also attacked and militants broke the equipment of a cameraman from TV Vitória. See a clip of the attack caught on tape at the bottom of the post.
In Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, a team from the newspaper Correio do Estado was threatened by supporters of the city's mayor-elect, State Deputy Alcides Bernal, during the vote count, reported the same publication. Angry voters even kicked the newspaper's vehicle.
Journalists covering the vote of José Genoíno, an ex-PT president recently indicted in a vote-buying scandal, were also attacked by PT militants. Journalist Oscar Filho, of the Bandeirantes network program CQC, was beaten and had to be medicated at the hospital, according to the Uol's website.
The Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters, the National Association of Newspapers, the Union of State Journalists, the Espírito Santo branch of the Order of Brazilian Lawyers, Transparency Capixaba, and the Union of Journalists released statements condemning the violence against the Gazeta and TV Vitória reporters.
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.
