May 23, 2016

Brazil Coup Govt Onslaught Continues, Public Media Decapitated

via Telesur

The public company will now be led by a journalist with a history of working for right-wing politicians.
Michel Temer, head of the coup government in Brazil, fired the head of the Brazil Communications Company, the public firm that manages the country’s public media outlets.
The action was rejected by the firm’s board of directors on the grounds that the law that regulates the company prohibits political interference.

“The notion that the president-director of the company should have fixed term, that does not coincide with a presidential mandates, was enshrined precisely to ensure the independence, impartiality and guiding principles of public outlets,” read a statement by the board of the Brazil Communications Company.
“The aim is to ensure autonomy from the federal government and protect the right of Brazilian society to free and public communications, which ensures the expression of diversity and plurality — foundations of a modern and democratic society,” added the statement.
The head of the company, Ricardo Melo, was appointed by democratically elected President Dilma Rousseff for a four year term earlier this month.
The coup government, however, ignored the concerns of the board.
Melo was replaced by Laerte Rimoli, who served as spokesperson for Aecio Neves, the right-wing candidate defeated by Rousseff in the 2014 presidential election. He also previously served as press officer for Eduardo Cunha, the embattled former head of the Chamber of Deputies who was recently suspended by the Supreme Court.
The move was published in the Brazilian government’s official gazette on Tuesday, with Melo’s replacement named on Friday.The dismissal of Melo comes after Brazil’s Congress voted to proceed with an impeachment trial against Rousseff, ousting her from her post.