Nothing to See! Networks Ignore Hijinks in Results of Brazil’s Presidential Election

On Monday morning, the “Big Three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC each dedicated a news brief on their lead morning shows to the results of the Brazilian presidential election, with far-left incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro by a razor-thin margin. The networks, though, framed it as Lulu “soundly defeating” Bolsonaro in a “clear” victory.

In reality, though, there was a litany of issues with the election, including a ruling by a justice on the Supreme Court — who also happens to be a former lawyer for Lula — that demanded polls reopen for two hours past closing time in pro-Lula precincts.

The New York Times even admitted there were problems with this:

Our Jorge Bonilla took note that, during his victory speech, Lula had called for censorship of social media platforms, likely in the name of tamping down on supposed election deniers.

Bonilla also framed what happened in a way more Americans would understand:

The broadcast networks made vague allusions to the vote count, but only in the context of chiding Bolsonaro for not immediately accepting the outcome.

Starting with the rancorous corporate liberals at Disney-owned ABC and Good Morning America, weekday newsreader and weekend co-host Will Reeve boasted of “the surprise results of the presidential election in Brazil” with Lula “winning an historic fourth term, soundly defeating right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.”

Reeve then scoffed at Bolsonaro having any credibility to suggest any funny business occurred: “Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for refusing to accept his own defeat four years ago. Flávio Bolsonaro has refused to concede in this case, and he’s asked the Supreme Court for an annulment of the results, which analysts say is unlikely to happen.”

Over at CBS Mornings, Saturday co-host Adriana Diaz shared Brazil’s “closely watched presidential election has a clear winner,” as “[l]eftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won his fourth term in a runoff with almost 52 percent of the vote.”

Diaz followed Reeve’s template by refusing to explain why the younger Bolsonaro had yet to concede: “He defeated right-wing rival Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro and a close ally of President Trump. Bolsonaro is challenging the results and refuses to concede.”

Finally on NBC’s Today, co-host Craig Melvin relayed, “Alright, some news from Brazil now, where President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won an historic fourth term yesterday. He did that by defeating Flavio Bolsonaro. He’s the eldest son of President Jair Bolsonaro.”

Melvin didn’t get into Bolsonaro’s lack of a concession, and instead said the win by “[t]he left-wing incumbent” and “vocal critics of President Trump” “buck[ed] a trend in Latin America, where increasing numbers of right-of-center presidential candidates have been winning.”

To see the relevant transcripts from October 26, click here (for ABC), here (for CBS), and here (for NBC).