Developing: Brazil’s latest televised presidential debate has triggered a fresh dispute over live fact-checking, with viewers on social media reacting to the broadcaster’s decision not to run real-time corrections on screen.
According to the original X post from tapiocaabaporu, Flávio Bolsonaro said during the debate that he would rebut what he called “fake news” about Lula, prompting a wave of complaints from viewers who wanted Globo to interrupt the broadcast with live fact-checking. Other X users posted similar reactions, but those posts do not independently verify the allegations being discussed.
The debate itself was real and underway, and g1 reported on X that TV Globo was airing the presidential debate on Friday, Oct. 23, from the network’s studios in Rio de Janeiro, with journalist César Tralli moderating. In that post, g1 said its fact-checking team, Fato ou Fake, was publishing verification of candidates’ statements during the event, while the debate continued live.
That reporting aligns with AFP’s coverage carried by France 24 and Free Malaysia Today, which said an online petition with more than one million signatures had urged Globo to implement live fact-checking during the debate. Those reports also said the broadcaster was expected to use its own fact-checking operation rather than adding real-time corrections on screen.
What remains unclear from the available reporting is whether any candidate made a false statement that was formally corrected in real time during the broadcast. The social-media posts show viewers arguing about whether fact-checking should have appeared live, but they do not by themselves establish the substance of every disputed claim.
The debate came as Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro faced off in the final televised showdown before Brazil’s runoff election, with both camps seeking to sway undecided voters and sharpen attacks over misinformation.
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