Five Brazilian fact-checking organizations released a scathing indictment Wednesday of their country’s leadership accusing them of spreading misinformation about COVID-19. The open letter was published by at least two major newspapers: Folha de S.Paulo and O Estado de São Paulo. You can read the English version here.
Representatives from Agência Lupa, Aos Fatos, Boatos.org, E-farsas, and Estadão Verifica said in their open letter they have been fighting a war against mis/disinformation exacerbated by members of the government who propagate false claims about the virus. Without citing president Jair Bolsonaro or any other politician, the group emphasized that politicians have, for example, pushed the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine for treating coronavirus. While there has been anectodal evidence of the drug helping with COVID-19, it hasn’t been definitively proven.
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