The Economist backtracks after Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) refutes report

247 – The British magazine The Economist has corrected a portion of an article published on April 16, which had been widely circulated by the far-right bolsonarista movement, regarding the role of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) in confronting anti-democratic acts.

The coup-related attacks are being judged under due legal process, and the British magazine omitted key facts.

A statement attributed to STF President Luís Roberto Barroso regarding the 2022 election led him to release an official note refuting The Economist.

The original version of the article claimed, in addition to criticizing Justice Alexandre de Moraes, that Barroso had supposedly said the Court had “defeated Jair Bolsonaro.”

The corrected version now clarifies that the minister was referring to the defeat of the far-right bolsonarista movement, not the former president personally.

Barroso made the statement on July 13, 2023, during an event organized by the National Union of Students (UNE), in which he said:
“We defeated censorship, torture and bolsonarismo to make democracy and free expression possible for everyone.”

Last Saturday, the STF issued a public note refuting The Economist’s report, which criticizes the Court’s actions against coup ers and directly targets Justice Moraes.

The Economist omitted the fact that Brazilian democracy, with vital from the STF, resisted serious threats from the far-right.

The STF’s statement emphasizes that coup attempts are being judged under due legal process. Public confidence in the Court remains high. According to Barroso, the Court’s decisions were based on crimes, and its actions toward foreign digital platforms resulted from their lack of legal representation in Brazil.

“The article’s focus aligns more with the narrative of those who attempted the coup than with the actual fact that Brazil lives in a full democracy, with rule of law, checks and balances, and respect for fundamental rights,” the note states.

One of last week’s articles also accused Moraes of “concentrating excessive power.”

In its note, the STF defended the minister, citing his “commitment and courage.”

The Economist even suggested the Court should adopt more “moderation,” and accused Moraes of leading a “personal campaign.” At the same time, the magazine acknowledged:
“He receives constant death threats. These threats seem to reinvigorate him and have given his decisions an absolutist tone.”

The articles were published amid the imminent conviction of Jair Bolsonaro by the Supreme Court for leading the attempted coup d’état on January 8, 2023.