Eyes of the world turned to Southern Brasil: international press covers climate tragedy extensively

The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has been the epicenter of a devastating climate crisis, which has gained prominence in the international press, broadening the debate around the need to urgently tackle global warming, as well as acting to disseminate reliable information about the tragedy.

The main international media outlets have devoted special attention to the tragedy. The Spanish newspaper El País called the region of "showcase of the devastation brought by climate change", while Germany's Die Zeit described the situation as "an ever-rising tide. In Southern Brasil, huge areas are under meters of water". The Times of India highlighted the Brazilian authorities' warning “for more floods and landslides with the arrival of new rains” and the British news agency Reuters highlighted the increase in the number of victims “Floods in Brasil kill 143 and government announces emergency spending”.

Australia's ABC News followed in the same vein: "Floods in Southern Brasil leave more than 100 dead and thousands displaced" and the Indian newspaper The Hindu reported that "Rescue operations continue in flooded Southern Brasil, despite new rains." Portugal's Correio da Manhã lamented the 148 deaths recorded in the floods, as well as the postponement of former president Lula's trip to Chile to visit those left homeless and affected by the tragedy: "Brasil registers 148 deaths in floods. Lula da Silva postpones trip to Chile". 

The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Canada's The Globe and Mail reinforced the high human cost of the floods in Southern Brasil and the emergency measures adopted by the Brazilian government. For its part, BBC News TV reported that "Brasil announces release of 10 billion dollars to help rescue and reconstruction efforts in Rio Grande do Sul".

Bolivia's La Razón and Argentina's La Nacional highlighted the cancellation of President Lula's trip to Chile due to the catastrophe in Southern Brasil and the rising flood levels in Porto Alegre, respectively.

Professional journalism in the fight against misinformation

The repercussions and international coverage not only enrich and alert the global debate on climate events, but also play a vital role in the fight against misinformation. At a time when fake news is spreading rapidly, the work of media outlets, with news gathered on the spot by media professionals, is essential for the dissemination of accurate and reliable information.

In addition to helping the victims and rebuilding the places affected by the tragedy in Southern Brasil, governments and society still have to face another battle: the spread of fake news. The epidemic of misinformation has disrupted the work of rescue teams, hampered aid to victims, impeded relief measures from reaching people and undermined the credibility of institutions working on the ground. 

"Fake news has primarily hindered the actions of the Public Power, because the population has received inauthentic and untrue information in relation to actions that are underway right now in Rio Grande do Sul." says the Federal Attorney General, Jorge Messias.

Speaking to broadcasters on the program Bom Dia, Presidente, on May 7, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did not hide his indignation at the wave of fake news related to the climate tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul: "I wanted to draw attention to the following: there is still a lot of fake news telling lies about Rio Grande do Sul, belittling people who are working, not just the Armed Forces, the Military Police, the Civil Police, the Federal Police, the National Force, not just the people who earn a salary to work, but the volunteers," Lula reinforced.

Brasil contra Fake: website detects and debunks fake news

To tackle fake content, the Brazilian government maintains the Brasil Contra Fake platform, which stands out as an important tool for disseminating verified information and clarifying misinformation related to institutional actions. At the moment, the focus is on debunking the large spread of fake news about the tragedy in Southern Brasil, which ranges from climate denialism to spreading fear among the population. 

 "The Brazilian government is committed to combating the wave of fake news that has spread in relation to the tragedy in the South of the Country. Great efforts are being made to respond to this misinformation, including proposals for legal action in the most serious cases. This response not only aims to protect the population from false information, but also ensures that the truth about the efforts and advances in the relief efforts is properly recognized," affirms the advisor to the Secretariat for Institutional Communication of the Presidency of the Republic, George Marques.

Protocol of Intent

With the coordination of the Federal Attorney General's Office (Advocacia Geral da União - AGU), the Federal Government set up a group to combat fake news, made up of the main digital platforms operating in Brasil. Present were representatives from the companies TikTok, Meta, Kwai, LinkedIn, Google, Kuaishou Technology and Spotify, as well as a representative from X (formerly Twitter), which took part virtually and did not comment. During the meeting, the platforms were presented with a "protocol of intent". In this protocol, the Brazilian government identifies a publication with false content and calls on the platforms to remove the material from the air.

 "This protocol of intent aims precisely to act more intensively, more quickly and more effectively in the fight against misinformation," Messias emphasized.

Integrity of information

This effort by the Brazilian government reflects a global concern with information integrity in the digital scenario, as evidenced by the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (WG). Recently, in São Paulo, the WG promoted an event aimed at building strategies to face digital challenges, with a focus on promoting information integrity, with the theme "Promoting information integrity: combating misinformation, hate speech and threats to public institutions online".

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