Taxpayer-Funded Propaganda: How Lula’s Government Rewards Its Media Allies with Half a Million in Public Cash
By Hotspotnews
In an era where fiscal responsibility and media independence are under siege, the Brazilian left’s grip on power reveals itself once again through blatant cronyism. Enter Leandro Demori, the former director of The Intercept Brasil and a vocal cheerleader for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s agenda. Fresh revelations expose a sweetheart deal: Demori’s personal company pocketed a staggering R$ 441,584 from the government-controlled Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) over 12 months.
That’s right—nearly half a million reais of taxpayer money funneled to a journalist who masquerades as an impartial watchdog while parroting the administration’s talking points.
This isn’t some obscure footnote in a budget report; it’s a prime example of how the Workers’ Party (PT) machine transforms public broadcasting into a personal propaganda arm. Signed in September 2023, the contract awards Demori R$ 36,500 monthly to host a talk show titled *DR com Demori* (“Dando a Real com Leandro Demori”) on TV Brasil, the EBC’s flagship network.
Ostensibly under the banner of “strengthening public broadcasting,” the funding comes straight from the federal coffers, classified as “services from third parties.” But let’s call it what it is: a cushy gig for a partisan hack, shielded behind a flimsy Microempreendedor Individual (MEI) structure—Demori’s own one-man outfit with CNPJ 39.717.168/0001-58.
The signatories read like a who’s who of Lula loyalists: EBC President Hélio Doyle, Content Director Antônia Pelegrino, and Demori himself, rubber-stamping his own windfall. The first tranche alone? A cool R$ 135,872 disbursed via a September 2023 empenho (commitment note), locking in the full payout for a year of on-air sycophancy.
And here’s the kicker—MEI status caps annual earnings at R$ 81,000 to qualify for tax perks. This deal blows past that limit like a runaway train, raising serious questions about compliance and whether Demori’s “independent” enterprise is just a shell for evading scrutiny.
Demori’s track record makes this arrangement reek of conflict. As a key architect of the explosive *Vaza Jato* leaks that smeared Operation Car Wash and its anti-corruption crusaders, he’s long been a thorn in the side of conservative values and law-and-order priorities. Under Lula’s watch, his rhetoric has only intensified: relentless attacks on Jair Bolsonaro, obsessive rants about an alleged “coup plot,” and endorsements of the regime’s most divisive policies.
Now, he’s not just opining from the sidelines—he’s being paid handsomely by the very government he defends to shape narratives on its dime. Imagine the outrage if a right-leaning commentator like Allan dos Santos scored a similar payday from a Bolsonaro-era agency. The mainstream media would erupt in feigned horror, branding it “fascist infiltration.” Yet for Demori? Crickets, or worse, applause from the echo chamber as “cultural investment.”
This scandal isn’t isolated; it’s symptomatic of a broader rot. The EBC, once envisioned as a neutral public service, has devolved into a PT propaganda mill under Lula’s appointees. Billions in public funds flow to ideologically aligned creators, sidelining diverse voices and turning taxpayer-supported airwaves into a leftist megaphone. While Brazilian families grapple with inflation, soaring energy costs, and crumbling infrastructure, elites like Demori feast at the trough—R$ 36,500 a month for what amounts to government-scripted monologues.
Conservatives have warned for years: without vigilant oversight, state media becomes a tool for entrenching power, not informing citizens. This contract demands immediate congressional investigation, full disclosure of all related expenditures, and reforms to bar journalists with clear partisan ties from public funding. Transparency isn’t optional; it’s the bedrock of a free society. Until the Brazilian people hold their leaders accountable, deals like this will proliferate, eroding trust in institutions and rewarding loyalty over liberty.
It’s time to drain the swamp in Brasília. Demand better—because your money shouldn’t bankroll the bias.