Though we may love to gossip, it’s always important to catch up on our current events. Glenn Greenwald is an American journalist and author best known for his work published by The Guardian newspaper, based on the U.S and British classified documents on the global surveillance programs. Greenwald is being accused of hacking into the cell phones of prosecutors and public officials in Brazil. Brazil has charged him with these cybercrimes for allegedly bringing to light messages that embarrass and tarnish the image of both prosecutors and anti-corruption task force. Mr. Greenwald is also a critic of Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonara.
A news organization that he founded called The Intercept Brazil published articles regarding the integrity and motives of key members of Brazil’s justice system. In the articles, Greenwald seemed to doubt the former judge, Sergio Moro and other prosecutors who put multiple powerful political and business figures in prison. The charges being brought onto him has somewhat sparked concern amongst the journalist and advocates community based on his right to free press. They have expressed that many journalists sometimes rely on confidential or leaked information that happens to be obtained from hackers/whistle-blowers. In regards to the charges being brought against him, Greenland said: “ The charges are an obvious attempt to attack a free press in retaliation for the revelations we reported about Minister Moro and the “Bolsonaro government”. He has also expressed that he will continue to publish the case against him as a test of Brazil’s democracy. Following that statement, Greenland said, “ We will not be intimidated by these tyrannical attempts to silence journalists”.
Many have spoken out regarding the topic, expressing that is not a crime for a journalist to interact with sources who give them information. The issue of freedom of the press is also the topic of discussion. What is going too far in doing your journalism research? Does Brazil not understand freedom of the press? Is freedom of the press a crime? Stay tuned and stay updated on your current events because it’s highly important.