Criticisms towards Gonçalves Dias and Eliziane Gama set the online debate related to the January 8’s CPMI (Bicameral Investigation Committee)

Analysis by: FGV ECMI

 

• With the central argument that the government is wearing itself out and being exposed by the CPMI, the opposition accounts for 58.4% of the profiles and 52% of the interactions in the debate related to the topic on Twitter;
• The opposition also had a significant advantage on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram, with the narrative that the government committed fraud and was behind the attacks on the Three Powers;
• Mauro Cid's testimony, on July 11, represented the most notorious peak in the debate since the CPMI was set up. In this case, the position of progressive profiles critical towards Cid was predominant.
• Suspicions of fraud in an Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) report also mobilized criticism towards Lula and Flávio Dino, being understood as proof of government interference.

 

With different peaks since its setting, at the end of May, the digital debate on the January 8’s CPMI has been guided, mostly, by the opposition to the Government, with emphasis on congresspeople and hyper-partisan media vehicles. This is what the survey by FGV School of Communication, Media, and Information (FGV ECMI) shows, it analyzed publications on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram, between May 25 and July 11.

 

Criticism towards the alleged bias of the rapporteur and accusations of evidence fraud in favor of the Government were dominant ideas in the opposition, as well as protests against the arrest of anti-democratic demonstrators. In the congressional debate on Facebook, the opposition recorded the highest engagement rates, which suggests a certain capillarity of this perspective on the CPMI on the network.

 

General Discussion

Evolution of the debate around January 8’s CPMI on Twitter

Period: from May 25 to July 11

Source: Twitter | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• Since its setting, on May 25, the January 8’s CPMI has undergone several oscillations, being an agenda treated by the different political fields episodically; without a degree of constancy. In this sense, it is noted that the debate about the Committee began in a very disputed way, but throughout the peaks observed, there was a tendency for the right to grow; 
• Among the main mottoes of this field, the following stand out: 1) the notion that Eliziane Gama would be favoring the Government in her report; 2) requests for figures from the left and government allies to be subpoenaed; 3) tweets defending that Lula and Flávio Dino were interfering in the investigations, as in the case of the alleged adulteration of an Abin report;
• On July 11, the debate grew again, with the most significant peak since the CPMI’s set up. Focusing on Mauro Cid's testimony, the discussion was disputed, but a certain dominance of progressive profiles was noted. Among these, Cid's visits to prison reverberate, as well as tweets celebrating the breach of secrecy by Bolsonaro's former assistant. Cid's silence in testimony did not undermine this discussion, with congresspeople like Erika Hilton actively participating to link the military to Bolsonaro and thus also hold the former president responsible for January 8.

 

Main terms about the January 8’s CPMI on Twitter

Period: from May 25 to July 11

 

Source: Twitter | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• In the first month, the debate around the CPMI on Twitter was guided in a balanced way between the different political fields. On one hand, progressive profiles defend the relevance of a Committee “of the coup” and “of the coup acts” to investigate the relationship between Bolsonaro and January 8;
• The right assiduously shares an alleged Abin report that indicates that Lula's trip to Araraquara, on the day of the acts, was deliberate. Rapporteur Eliziane Gama, Minister Flávio Dino and TSE’s (Superior Electoral Court) President Alexandre de Moraes are prominent figures in this first moment, being framed in a negative way. The main motto of the critiques aims at the supposed partiality of these actors, who would be trying to bias the CPMI;
• From the second month onwards, Mauro Cid occupies a central position in the discussion. Disputed, the debate presents several attempts, both to blame him and to indicate that the left was wronging Cid. Among the mottoes discussed, the visits received by Cid in prison stand out, as well as tweets that argue that the lieutenant colonel's silence in testimony to the Committee already qualifies as an incriminating attitude.

 

Map of interactions on the topic on Twitter

Period: from May 25 to July 11 | Number of publications: 194.9 thousand

Source: Twitter | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

Right (blue) - 52.6% of profiles | 48.5% of interactions

As observed in a survey on the MST's CPI, the debate on the January 8’s CPMI has the right-wing centrality. With names like @caroldetoni and @bolsonaroSP, the relevance of the @SpaceLiberdade page among the group is noteworthy. In the discussion, the cluster adheres to the strategy of sharing videos with statements recorded during the CPMI sessions, bringing developments that point to a main narrative: that the government would be wearing out with the Committee. Attacks on the rapporteur for supposed partiality stand out, praise for right-wing senators and posts that portray treatment considered inhumane against prisoners on January 8. Everyone runs to explain that the “truth about the facts” would then become known.

 

Left (red) - 39.5% of profiles | 47.1% of interactions.

Similar strategies can be mapped among the cluster on the left, with the circulation of videos with excerpts from the CPMI, in addition to tweets that point to the notion that the Committee is revealing important truths. In this group, congresspeople have a leading role, with emphasis on @RogerioCorreia_ and @ErikaHilton, disseminating criticism of specific figures, such as the former director of the PRF (Federal Highway Police), Silvinei Vasques, for leading the troops in the second round of elections. Other actors are also criticized, such as Colonel Jean Lawand and Mauro Cid, but this repudiation appears in a rather lateral and insignificant way.

 

Conservative profiles (light blue) - 5.8% of profiles | 3.5% of interactions

The creation of a cluster draws attention, which, with diverse conservative profiles, presents one main characteristic: praise for the participation of congressperson Paula Belmonte. Among the topics highlighted by the cluster, there is the endorsement of criticism against Minister Flávio Dino for allegedly having intended to “take the GSI from the Army” and sabotage documents sent to the Cabinet. It is stated, in a celebratory tone, that the deputy would be allowing the opening of a new line of investigation in the CPMI.

 

Main links of the debate around January 8’s CPMI on Facebook

Period: from May 25 to July 11

Source: Twitter | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• In general, the most shared links on Facebook privilege the opposition's perspective. Articles published in Gazeta do Povo and Jovem Pan News, for example, report alleged evidence that there was collusion by government agencies in the January 8 attacks, in particular the GSI. The figure of former president Jair Bolsonaro was also highlighted, with different approaches: sometimes his endorsement of the CPMI was highlighted, sometimes he was pointed out as the main suspect for the attacks.

 

Congressional debate around the January 8’s CPMI on Facebook

Period: from May 25 to July 11

Total publications: 549

 

Source: Twitter | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• On Facebook, although the government wing produced a greater number of posts about the CPMI, opposition congresspeople easily led the debate due to the high engagement obtained by their publications. In terms of network reach, Mauricio Marcon (PODEMOS-RS), André Fernandes (PL-CE), Bino Nunes (PL-RS), Carla Zambelli (PL-SP) and Filipe Barros (PL-PR) were central names in scope of this debate. From the governing base, Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR), Carlos Zarattini (PT-SP) and Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) stood out.
• Among the congresspeople involved in the discussion, 48 are from the government wing, 38 are from the opposition and 23 from the center. PT and PL were the parties with the highest number of publications, with 227 and 164 posts, respectively. In terms of engagement, Podemos and PL recorded the highest rates. Marcon, for example, had 88% more engagement than Hoffmann, who recorded the highest index of the category in the government wing, which indicates a strong capillarization of the opposition narrative on Facebook in relation to the CPMI.

 

Main posts about the January 8’s CPMI on Instagram

Period: from May 25 to July 11

Source: Twitter | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• Opposition to the government dominates Instagram with a large advantage, relying on the articulation among congresspeople and hyper-partisan media outlets. Attention is drawn to the potential of these groups, when articulated among themselves, to guide the debate. In the discussion, Gonçalves Dias is highlighted, with posts that indicate that the former GSI ‘s (Institutional Security Bureau) staff would be collaborating to hide the government's participation on January 8. Other relevant topics, such as the testimony of Mauro Cid, the attacks against the congresspeople Sâmia Bomfim and Erika Hilton or the criticisms against the rapporteur Eliziane Gama, were not highlighted;
• The governing base does not demonstrate articulation on this platform, obtaining much lower prominence on the right. Without the centrality of diverse actors, this group has the more active participation of activist pages, such as Mídia Ninja and Seremos Resistência. The focus here was the repudiation of the attacks against Sâmia Bomfim and Erika Hilton, in addition to posts that link Bolsonaro's allies to January 8. No signs of articulated mobilization against a specific figure were mapped.

 

Top videos about the topic on YouTube

Period: from May 25 to July 11

 

Source: YouTube | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• The opposition dominated the debate in terms of high circulation videos on YouTube. Videos with compilations of “tearing” speeches by congresspeople during the CPMI sessions predominated, especially by Nikolas Ferreira. With out-of-context cuts that privilege moments in which the congresspeople would have “ticked off” and “slayed” his opponents, these videos were widely inserted in the debate, as well as moments of “argument” between congresspeople. Political analyses that privileged the perspective of the opposition also stood out, especially from the Te Atualizei channel.

 

Most shared messages related to the topic on Telegram

Period: from May 25 to July 11

 

Source: Telegram | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• As on the other analyzed platforms, the debate on Telegram was dominated by the opposition. The central argument was that the CPMI was being defrauded to benefit the government and harm and criminalize former President Bolsonaro's support base;
• There were criticisms of partiality towards the rapporteur Eliziane Gama, notes of fraud in Abin reports by Gonçalves Dias and alleged accusations that the attacks were conducted by infiltrators linked to the government.