Folks,
I wasted my day talking to the editors about covering the incredible tech-fascist coup happening down here in Brazil and a new scoop on the Trump administration's involvement.
Four editors (from well-known lefty pubs) turned me down with variations of "meh, we got other stories to focus on". Another four or five editors just ghosted me. (One editor from Truthdig politely told me they had already assigned another reporter to cover Brasil and offered Payday a free reprints of their stories)
I was so pissed. I hoped to get the story out and make a little money freelancing as I've struggled to raise money for this coverage.
I was so distraught that I had to call our fundraising chair, retired UE Political Action Director Chris Townsend, for a pep talk. Thank god, I did cuz he made me realize how unique what Payday was doing in Brasil was because the left media is ignoring something that readers desperately want.
While editors were turning us down, our story "Meta Censors Over 1,080 Pro-Lula Accounts During Brazilian Presidential Election" that we ran through the PanAmerican Dispatch collaboration garnered over 1,000 reposts on Bluesky.
Not only did readers in the US read it, but dozens of quote messages were from readers in other countries. (Check them out here to get a taste of the interest)
Despite Lula trailing in the first round by only 1.8%, many in the US left have written off the election completely. And most left publications do very little international coverage these days.
Over 1 million people showed up on Copacabana Beach on a Monday afternoon to show their support, along with protests and events in dozens of cities across the U.S.
With 11 days left in this race, Lula could still win. Even if he doesn't win, the massive street protests are laying the groundwork for a resistance network to fight another day. Despite this, Americans don't care, even though we are fighting our own social media companies at home.
The Brazilian presidential election shows why we need to fight against these social media companies. Bolsonaro doesn't have folks like this out in the street; he's got folks hidden behind phone screens, spreading racist, misogynistic stuff.
Win or lose, this fight in Brasil is a hell of a fight, and we need to cover it. I am proud of the work Payday is doing, while I am ashamed of my colleagues for providing so little financial support. So far, we have published over 23 stories and 3 videos.
Once again, I ask for your support in helping us do the reporting that other outlets are simply ignoring here in Brazil. Only Payday Report's readers can finance this type of crucial story.
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