Brazil's dirty campaign: a disinformation guide

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro warns his rival Lula wants to 'impose communism' in Brazil

In an increasingly familiar script, Brazil's presidential election campaign is awash in conspiracy theories, social media attacks and other disinformation

Brazil's election campaign has been an orgy of mudslinging, social media attacks and outright lies so outlandish they are sometimes comical.

Here is a look from AFP's fact-checking team at some of the top disinformation techniques -- none of them particularly high-tech -- used in the online proxy wars between backers of far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of the country's presidential runoff on October 30.

One of the main methods seen in the social media disinformation campaign is editing context out of video footage to make the candidates appear to say something they haven't.

The veteran leftist did utter those words the night before -- but was mimicking Bolsonaro when he said it.

Bolsonaro, 67, has also been targeted with the tactic.

In reality, Bolsonaro was talking about a rumor swirling online.

Bolsonaro warns ex-president Lula (2003-2010) wants to "impose communism" in Brazil, and often points to crises in other Latin American countries as examples of the dangers of left-wing rule.

One viral post accuses Colombian President Gustavo Petro's leftist government of "authorizing pedophilia," based on a measure that legalized marriage for minors older than 14.

"Starving locals attack poultry and pig farmers in Argentina," warns another apocalyptic message, accompanying a video of pillaging that allegedly occurred under leftist President Alberto Fernandez.

Videos from violent protests in Chile in 2019 under conservative ex-president Sebastian Pinera have likewise been misrepresented as happening under current President Gabriel Boric, who took office last March.

Fake opinion polls showing one candidate with a large lead are another common tactic.

In fact, most real polls give Lula a small lead over Bolsonaro.

Multiple claims of fraud went viral after the first-round election on October 2, in which Lula took 48 percent of the vote to 43 percent for Bolsonaro.

Other viral posts allege the vote count on election night followed an algorithm in which Lula gained one percentage point and Bolsonaro lost one-half for every 12 percent of polling stations that reported results.

- Fake articles -

The G1 news site operated by Globo, Brazil's biggest media group, is a frequent target.

Another quotes him as saying, "Even God can't stop me from winning this election."

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