Decoding the Media Battles and Political Landscape in Brazil's Elections

As Brazilians head into national elections, a familiar name appears on the ballot: Bolsonaro. However, it is not former President Jair Bolsonaro, but his son Flavio, who is presenting himself to the electorate as a more moderate alternative to his father. Election coverage has been heavily dominated by a major corruption scandal, marking the biggest banking fraud case in the country’s history. Although Brazilians are accustomed to political corruption scandals, the media coverage often frames them with the narrative that all politicians are equally corrupt.

Contributors to this discussion include Andrew Fishman, President and co-founder of Intercept Brasil; David Nemer, Professor at the University of Virginia; Andre Pagliarini, Professor at Louisiana State University; and Natalia Portinari, Reporter at O Globo.

Also on our radar, Donald Trump’s decision to bar three news outlets from the White House appears to have backfired after journalists organized a media boycott and a judge overturned the ban. Tariq Nafi has been tracking the latest duel between the US president and the media.

In Spain, a fringe neo-Nazi movement known as Nucleo Nacional has attracted a growing online following by packaging incendiary and slickly produced content. Mainstream media attention has inadvertently made this marginal organization appear far larger and more influential than it actually is. The Listening Post’s Elettra Scrivo travels to Madrid to come face-to-face with Nucleo Nacional’s members and uncover the reality behind the spectacle, featuring insights from Miquel Ramos, author of 'Antifascistas', and Urszula Mrozowska, a digital researcher in hate speech and extremism.