An independent journalism website based in the Brazilian Amazon has announced it will not cover the upcoming elections due to ongoing threats against its staff. Tapajós de Fato, which focuses on environmental and Indigenous rights issues in the state of Pará, cited concerns for the safety of its reporters and their families in making the decision. Brazil’s first-round election is scheduled for October 4 and will determine the country’s president, state governors, and members of both houses of Congress.
The decision follows a series of intimidations targeting one of the site’s founders, Marcos Wesley Pedroso. In 2022, the tires of the team’s reporting vehicle were slashed, and a severed cat’s head was left along with a threatening note naming Pedroso. More recently, security footage captured cyclists circling his residence while filming and whistling, followed by another vehicle deliberately colliding with his car. Police have yet to identify any suspects or link the incidents conclusively, but Pedroso states they are part of a broader pattern of threats linked to Tapajós de Fato’s coverage of land disputes, pesticide contamination, and environmental abuses in the Amazon.
Pedroso acknowledged the difficult decision to step back from election coverage but emphasized that the website would remain active in reporting environmental issues. “We are afraid of dying and of putting our families’ safety at risk,” he said, underscoring the risks journalists face in the region.
Brazilian journalism and free expression organizations view Tapajós de Fato’s withdrawal from election reporting as a significant indicator of the increased dangers journalists confront. Letícia Klein, legal coordinator at the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism, noted that such silencing tactics not only harm communities but undermine democratic processes by restricting access to critical local information. Her association documented a 67% rise in online attacks against journalists and media outlets over a two-week period in early September, signaling heightened hostility during this election campaign.
The political environment remains tense. While former president Jair Bolsonaro, known for his antagonistic stance toward the press and anti-environmental policies, is under house arrest and barred from running, his son, far-right Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, is closely competing in the polls with the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Pedroso expressed concern over the possibility of Flávio Bolsonaro gaining power, highlighting the heightened risks that journalists experienced during his father’s administration — a period marked by increased deforestation, illegal incursions into Indigenous lands, and violence.
The Amazon region’s dangers to reporters are underscored by the 2022 murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, who were killed while investigating criminal activities in Indigenous territories. Local environmental groups condemned the threats against Tapajós de Fato as symptomatic of a climate of fear influencing what can be reported about the Amazon.
After years of reporting these threats to law enforcement authorities with no action taken, Tapajós de Fato chose to make the intimidation public. Pedroso acknowledged the role the website plays in informing nearby communities but stressed that safety concerns left them no viable alternative. “In the end, those are the people who lose out,” he said.