Government has new social communication secretary
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Tuesday (Jan. 14) swore in advertiser Sidônio Palmeira as head of his Social Communication Secretariat, Secom, thus replacing Paulo Pimenta. The ceremony took place at the Planalto presidential palace.
In his first speech at the helm of the office responsible for devising and implementing the press and communication policy of Brazil’s federal executive branch, Palmeira criticized the effects of disinformation on people’s perception of government actions.
“Information about services hasn’t reached the grassroots. The people haven’t been able to see the government’s virtues. The lies in digital environments spread by the extreme right form a smokescreen in real life, manipulate innocent people, and pose a threat to humanity,” the new secretary said.
Palmeira said that free speech has been misappropriated by factions that promote hate speech, depriving it of its meaning. “We defend freedom of expression. We regret that extremism has been distorting this concept in order to bring freedom of manipulation,” he argued.
Describing communication as the guardian of democracy, Sidônio Palmeira advocated the fight against disinformation and said his administration will encourage regulatory measures, as well as the public’s access to information.
He once again criticized the recent changes unveiled by the multinational Meta, the technology company that controls Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in the content moderation policy of its social networks, which will facilitate the spread of hate speech and eliminate fact-checking.
Palmeira takes over the secretariat halfway through President Lula’s term, with the main challenge of improving the government’s political communication, in the latter stage of his administration.
