Co-founder of independent website Tapajós de Fato said decision was made to protect journalists and their families

News of violence around election time is not uncommon: in 2022 a man was struck on the head with a piece of wood after saying he did not support the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro’s re-election bid.

Journalism and free-expression organisations in Brazil see Tapajós de Fato’s decision, first reported by a network of independent Amazonian media outlets, as a serious example of the consequences of attacks against journalists during the electoral period.

“It reflects the different forms of attempted censorship and silencing that journalists have to face in Brazil,” said Letícia Kleim, legal coordinator at the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism.

“Silencing the message by silencing the messenger affects not just their community, but democracy as a whole, which will no longer receive the valuable information they were providing by reporting on the Amazon from within the region.”