Editing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (section)

=== Freedom of the press ===
After Lula was infuriated by a 9 May 2004, ''New York Times'' article that claimed he had a drinking problem, Brazil ordered the ''New York Times'' reporter, [[Larry Rohter]], to leave the country and revoked his visa because he had written a story "offensive to the honour of the president."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/09/world/brazilian-leader-s-tippling-becomes-national-concern.html|title=Brazilian Leader's Tippling Becomes National Concern|first=Larry|last=Rohter|work=The New York Times|date=9 May 2004|access-date=29 February 2024|archive-date=8 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908002255/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/09/world/brazilian-leader-s-tippling-becomes-national-concern.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto23">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/may/13/pressandpublishing.brazil|title=Brazil expels New York Times reporter for offensive story|first=Gareth|last=Chetwynd|date=13 May 2004|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=29 February 2024|archive-date=7 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907111940/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/may/13/pressandpublishing.brazil|url-status=live}}</ref> Lula said: "Certainly its author ... must be more worried than I am ... it deserves action."<ref name="auto23"/>  Brazil's presidential palace threatened to take legal action against the ''New York Times'', which stood by the story and said that the expulsion raised serious questions about [[freedom of expression]] and [[freedom of the press]] in Brazil.<ref name="auto23"/> No journalist had been expelled from Brazil since its military dictatorship ended in the mid-1980s.<ref name="auto23"/> Brazilian opposition senator [[Tasso Jereissati]] said: "This is ridiculous. It's more like the immature act of a dictator of a third-rate republic..."<ref name="auto23"/> Brazil's second largest union, [[Força Sindical]], issued a statement expressing concern that: "it is a reaction typical of authoritarian governments that don't like contrary voices."<ref name="auto23"/> Despite criticism, on 13 May 2004, Lula said "he would not consider revoking the action."<ref name="auto23"/> The government subsequently changed its position, and allowed the reporter to remain.<ref name="auto22">{{Cite book|url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2005/country-chapters/brazil|title=Brazil: Events of 2004|date=31 January 2005|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=29 February 2024|archive-date=7 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907111958/https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2005/country-chapters/brazil|url-status=live}}</ref>

Three months later, Lula introduced legislation to create a Brazil National Journalists' Council that would have the power to "orient, discipline and monitor" journalists and their work.<ref name="auto22"/><ref name="auto24">{{Cite web|url=https://www1-folha-uol-com-br.translate.goog/folha/brasil/ult96u63040.shtml?_x_tr_sl=pt&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc|title=Brasil – Lula quer conselho para fiscalizar jornalismo 4|date=6 August 2004|website=Folha|access-date=29 February 2024|archive-date=29 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229204324/https://www1-folha-uol-com-br.translate.goog/folha/brasil/ult96u63040.shtml?_x_tr_sl=pt&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc|url-status=live}}</ref> Critics called the draft law the worst affront to press freedom since censorship under the military dictatorship.<ref name="auto22"/><ref name="auto24"/> The government also proposed the establishment of a National Cinema and Audiovisual Agency that would have the power to conduct prior reviews of programming and to veto certain programmes if they believed that they did not to meet standards of "editorial responsibility."<ref name="auto22"/>