"A reporter who specializes in the police beat for TV Vitória, a subsidiary of the Record [network] in [the Brazilian state of] Espírito Santo, was the victim of a wave of online attacks and has even received death threats. The attacks began last week (Aug. 15), after Alexandre Ramalho, state secretary of Public Security and Social Defense, posted on social media a video of an interview he gave to Suellen Araújo. […] The reporter asked Ramalho about allegations that the five deaths [of alleged criminals that took place during a police operation on Aug. 14 in the neighborhood of] Morro do Macaco were not the result of a confrontation. Araújo referred to one witness as a 'kid' and to the victims as 'young boys.'
An edited video of the interview was posted on Ramalho's personal Instagram with the caption: 'We will continue to do our part. As for the 'kids...,' and ‘young boys...,’ I'll leave the comments to you.' From that moment on, Ramalho's social media were flooded with hostility towards the news outlet and the journalist. Some of these messages, which were later deleted by their authors, contained slander and insults of a sexual nature against the reporter.
In addition to digital violence, an unidentified person called the reporter and threatened to kill her. Faced with an avalanche of denigrating messages, Araújo was forced to close her Instagram account."
