Brazilian elections: press freedom has improved under President Lula, but structural challenges and risk of regression persist

Under President Lula, whose current term is nearing its end, Brazil rose from 110th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2022 World Press Freedom Index, at the end of Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, to 52nd in 2026, climbing 58 places. A significant part of this progress is due to the return to some democratic normality after the darkest period for Brazilian journalism since the return to democracy in 1988. These four years have also paved the way for more lasting advances in protecting journalists and strengthening the conditions in which journalism is practised.

Restoring a democratic relationship between political authorities and the media

One of the most visible changes over the past four years has been the normalisation of relations between the federal government and journalists. The systematic stigmatisation of the media by the presidency and the political mobilisation against journalists that characterised the Bolsonaro years are no longer part of the executive branch's day-to-day communication.

Progress has also been made in terms of public transparency and the implementation of the Access to Information Law (LAI), following several years marked by restrictions and the abusive use of secrecy provisions.

Progress in journalist safety, but protection mechanisms remain fragile

So far, no journalist has been killed in Brazil due to their work during President Lula's current term, whereas deadly violence against the press marked several periods in the country's recent history. The federal government has also sought to strengthen its institutional response to violence targeting journalists. In 2023, it notably created the National Observatory on Violence against Journalists and protection policies for human rights defenders and journalists were strengthened. A protocol on investigations into crimes committed against journalists, developed with RSF's participation, was adopted by the state.

The record nevertheless remains mixed. The Observatory still struggles to establish itself as an effective mechanism for monitoring violence and coordinating public responses. Protection programmes also remain ill-adapted to the specific risks journalists face. Threats, physical attacks, online harassment and other forms of intimidation continue to affect media professionals, particularly in cities outside the main urban centres.

Information integrity: international leadership, more modest results in Brazil

Information integrity and the upheavals associated with the digital environment emerged as important areas of focus during Lula's term. Under Brazil's G20 presidency in 2024, the country helped place information integrity at the heart of discussions on the digital economy. Together with the United Nations and UNESCO, Brazil also launched the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, linking the work undertaken at the G20 with COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in 2025. At COP30, the issue took on a new international dimension, with commitments notably addressing the protection of environmental journalism, the accountability of digital platforms and the economic sustainability of the media.

At the national level, the executive branch has actively engaged in debates on digital platforms' accountability, transparency and regulation of the information environment. But it has faced far greater difficulties in translating this agenda into legislation. The bill against disinformation (PL 2630/2020) - which incorporated certain principles found in the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) and sought to impose new accountability and transparency obligations on digital platforms - was ultimately shelved by Congress amid strong political resistance and intense mobilisation by major technology companies.

The Artificial Intelligence Act (PL 2338), which establishes a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, was approved by the Senate in 2024, but several provisions relating to information integrity were weakened during the legislative process. The bill has still not achieved final adoption by the Chamber of Deputies.

On another front, the government has begun to develop a genuine public policy on media and information literacy, with the 2023 creation of the Brazilian Media and Information Literacy Strategy (EBEM).

Structural problems remain insufficiently addressed

The overall improvement in the state of Brazil's press freedom has not been matched by robust reforms capable of addressing the longstanding and emerging structural challenges affecting Brazilian journalism. Thisincludes the legal harassment of journalists.

Source confidentiality, a constitutional guarantee that is essential to journalism, remains an area of concern after it was called into question by several court decisions and investigations during Lula's presidency.

Ensuring a diverse and economically viable media landscape remains a major challenge, particularly in the face of the weakening of local and independent media and growing dependence on digital platforms. However, some initial avenues have been explored. The government has launched an incubator aimed at strengthening and supporting Afro-Brazilian, peripheral and independent media outlets, although it has not yet been fully rolled out. It has also created the Communication Plan for Racial Equality and taken measures to facilitate these media outlets' access to coverage of presidential activities. These initiatives show there is a greater recognition of the diversity of the media landscape and the historical inequalities that shape it, but remain marginal given the scale of the challenges.

Finally, measures have been taken to rebuild public broadcasting, including via restoring mechanisms for civil-society participation within the public media group EBC. However, Brazil's public media still requires lasting guarantees of independence and sound governance to protect it against future political interference.