About football, Brazil and journalists

• The World Cup 2014 has finally started, bringing happiness and excitement to people around the globe. But for sports journalists in Brazil, it has something different.
• Sports journalism is considered as one of the most dangerous professions in Brazil, and experts say reporting on the World Cup 2014 can be more deadly than ever.
• Valerio Luiz de Oliveira, a renowned sports broadcaster, was shot dead outside his office in Goiania, Brazil, in 2012. He was known for his unsparing criticism of the management of a local football club, Atletico Goianiense. “I lost my son because of football,” his father said.
• According to Committee to Protect Journalists, as many as 10 media personnel have been killed since the new president joined the office.
• A recent report reveals that most of the crimes against sports journalists in Brazil go unpunished and the actual killers remain safe from the clutches of law.
• Experts say a number of convictions in journalists’ killers have been obtained recently, mostly as an effort to improve relations with the press in the run-up to the World Cup.
• The report also claims that certain politicians and businessmen use the nation’s privacy laws to stop critical media coverage of sports, keeping newspapers and bloggers overwhelmed in court and on the hook for legal fees and fines.
• Brazil recently sought centralized control over the nation’s Internet. It already leads the world in Google takedown requests.
• The mega event can make things dangerous for journalists who challenge powerful and wealthy interests, as wealth is often expanding faster than the rule of law in the large and dynamic South American country.
• Still Brazil has a vibrant media and civil society. The World Cup 2014 would provide a big opportunity to take note of the work journalists are doing, putting their life in danger.

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