Globo debate draws criticism as viewers question live fact-checking and misinformation handling

Developing: A TV Globo presidential debate in Brazil has prompted fresh criticism online over how the broadcaster handled fact-checking and misinformation during the program, after viewers complained that false or misleading claims were not challenged quickly enough.

The criticism came as the network aired a final debate on Friday between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Liberal Party candidate Flávio Bolsonaro ahead of Brazil’s runoff vote, according to The Weekly Times, which reported that more than a million people had signed an online petition asking Globo to implement live fact-checking during the debate.

Globo’s own news arm said the debate was held at the broadcaster’s studios in Rio de Janeiro and that its fact-checking service, Fato ou Fake, was operating during the event. In a post on X, g1 said a team of more than 30 journalists was working to verify claims quickly while maintaining editorial rigor.

But the same debate immediately drew complaints from viewers and social-media users who said misinformation had gone unchecked. Several posts on X accused Globo of failing to stop false claims from circulating live, while others argued the broadcaster’s fact-checking was not visible enough during the broadcast. Those posts, however, are not independent confirmation of the criticism.

Separate reporting from Valor International said a civil society group had asked Globo to fact-check statements in real time, but that the request was not adopted because the two campaigns had not agreed to it in advance. Valor also said Fato ou Fake would still operate throughout the debate.

The dispute comes amid a bitter Brazilian campaign in which both sides have accused each other of spreading disinformation and using social media aggressively. AFP reported that the debate was widely expected to be decisive for undecided voters, while also noting the online petition calling for live fact-checking.

It is not yet clear whether Globo will respond publicly to the latest wave of criticism or whether any specific claims made during the debate will be formally addressed by the broadcaster’s fact-checking desk after the broadcast.