On the eve of possible vote, opposition wins digital debate on Fake News Bill

Analysis by: FGV ECMI 

 

• Opposition dominates the debate on the Project and consolidates a critical chorus of the urgent approval of what is called the “Censorship Bill”;
• Opposition congresspeople ally themselves with the centrists, greatly surpassing the engagement of government allies;
• Guilherme Boulos, the main profile of the left in the debate, had about 97% less engagement, when compared to the highlight of the right, Marcel van Hattem;
• Risks of censorship and supposed threats to democracy are the main themes of the Project's critics.

Expectations for the possible appreciation of Bill 2,630/2020 led to a strong campaign against the approval of the matter in Congress. Opposition congresspeople and content linking the Fake News Bill to censorship and the threat to freedom of expression were dominant in the digital debate. This is what a survey by FGV's School of Communication, Media, and Information shows. It analyzed posts related to the subject on Facebook, from 00:00 on the 15th to 12:00 on the 25th  of April.

The debate on the urgent approval of the matter in Congress stirred general manifestations on the merits of the project and, more broadly, government initiatives regarding the regulation of digital platforms. In these terms, the campaign to reject Bill 2,630/2020 gained strength on the networks and mobilized criticism of the federal government, being strongly mobilized by opposition and center congresspeople.

 

Facebook

Main news links about the Fake News Bill on Facebook
Período: de 15 a 25 de abril, às 12h

 

 

Source: Facebook | Elaboration: FGV's School of Communication, Media, and Information

• Links associated with the “Bolsonarist” right and opposition to Bill 2,630/2020 were predominant among the contents with the highest engagement. The critics emphasize the perspective that the Bill would be a threat to freedom of expression and that the approval of the urgency would be equivalent to the approval of the merits.
• Signaling for the prominence of hyper partisan media vehicles in this debate, the summoning column by Deltan Dallagnol (PODE), published in Gazeta do Povo and entitled “Urgent: Brazil will be gagged,” and the video by Pastor Silas Malafaia, published in his YouTube channel and replicated by Pleno News, are highlighted. Partially republished in Pleno News, Dallagnol's column reached a significant advantage in number of reactions, largely positive.
• O Antagonista and the traditional vehicles UOL and CBN were in the spotlight when they broadcast updates on the political dispute surrounding the matter. In a non-opinionated tone, the requirements that requested the establishment of a Special Commission are highlighted, in addition to manifestations by public authorities in defense of the merits of the project, including the rapporteur of the matter.
• Veja links are the only ones that have a generally favorable effect on the Bill. While the publication of public opinion poll results highlights popular support for the platform regulation agenda, an article published by the editorial office actively refutes the criticisms leveled at the Bill and the urgent vote. The high number of comments is due to users' criticism of the reports.

Main congresspeople in the debate about the Fake News Bill on Facebook
Period: from 15 to 25 April, at 12m
 

 

Source: Facebook | Elaboration: FGV's School of Communication, Media, and Information 

 

• Right-wing congresspeople allied with Jair Bolsonaro almost completely dominate the debate on the Fake News Bill on Facebook, subscribing to twenty-two of the twenty-five publications with the highest engagement. Names like Marcel van Hattem (Novo), Carla Zambelli (PL) and Bia Kicis (PL) are in evidence.
• Among these publications, the congressperson Guilherme Boulos (PSOL) is the main highlight of the government base, but had about 97% less engagement, compared to  Van Hattem. Some congresspeople from center parties, like Sergio Moro (União) and Deltan Dallagnol (PODE), were also ahead of figures on the left, approaching the opposition by strongly criticizing the Bill.
• With a peak of interactions on April 24th, there are no signs of significant dispute in the debate between the different political camps, with a noticeable prominence of the right. In this sense, the subject is approached from the logic of censorship and restriction of freedom of expression, defending that the rights of the population and democracy itself would be at risk.
• Some of these posts are characterized by a call to action, with requests for voters to put pressure on congresspeople to reject the approval of the Bill, as directed by Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL) in a prominent publication. Congressional mobilization also involves holding lives with specialists, publicizing the “PL da Censura” (Censorship Bill) website and circulating content that indicates that the Project will ban biblical verses from social networks. The congressperson Deltan Dallagnol went so far as to state, in this sense, that “the faith will be censored if we do not prevent the approval of the Censorship Bill”. 
• When compared to the number of posts and the high engagement obtained by the right, the government base, favorable to the project, appeared quite laterally, with Guilherme Boulos (PSOL), Sâmia Bomfim (PSOL) and Rogério Correia (PT) defending the approval of the Project. Despite being the bill's rapporteur, congressperson Orlando Silva (PCdoB) achieved almost negligible engagement when dealing with the topic. Congresspeople call for greater accountability of digital platforms and point out the dangers of the circulation of violent and extremist content.

Volume of interactions and posts per party on Facebook
Period: from April 15th to 25th, at 12 pm
 

 

Source: Facebook | Elaboration: FGV's School of Communication, Media, and Information

 

• Representing the preponderance of the opposition in the debate, PL, and Novo congresspeople lead with a wide advantage.  With at least 30 active congresspeople on the agenda, “Partido Liberal” (Liberal Party) is the one that most published on the subject among all the acronyms, while names like Marcel van Hattem (NOVO) ensure strong engagement with other opposition parties;
• Podemos and União Brasil appear in the sequence, signaling the strength of criticism of the Project by centrist congresspeople. Mauricio Marcon (PODE), Deltan Dallagnol (PODE) and Sergio Moro (UNIÃO) stand out. Together with the opposition, the parties make up a strong block, which is critical of the project;
• With a low volume of interactions in the comparison, PT and PSOL  parties stand out among the governing base. PT was the third party to publish the most on the subject, but only Guilherme Boulos (PSOL) stood out minimally in terms of engagement.

 

Volume of interactions and posts by political field on Facebook
Period: from April 15 to 25, at 12 noon
 

 

Source: Facebook | Elaboration: FGV's School of Communication, Media, and Information

 

• The opposition to the federal government had a large advantage in the debate. Comprised of PL and NOVO, the group is the majority both in the number of posts and engagement, and in the number of congresspeople involved in the debate, totaling thirty-three of the sixty-five deputies and senators who posted about the Bill 3on Facebook;
• The center is formed by the congressional blocks with the largest volume of parties in the Congress. The first is composed of União Brasil, PP, PSDB-Citizenship Federation, PDT and PSB. Avante, Solidariedade and Patriota. The second group comprises MDB, PSD, Podemos and PSC. Together with congresspeople aligned with the federal government, which is the group breaching PT, PSOL, REDE, PV, PTB, PROS and PC do B. The two political camps have a smaller expression in the debate, both in terms of the number of posts and interactions, as well as the number of parliamentarians, which totaled thirty-three federal representatives and senators in both camps.