Brazil Communication Company (Empresa Brasil de Comunicação, EBC) was inaugurated in 2007. Today it consists of the television channel TV Brasil, a radio network with seven stations throughout the country (FM National, Brasilia National, Rio de Janeiro National, Amazonia National, Alto S. National Park, MEX FM and MEC AM) and two news agencies (Agencia Brasil and Radioagencia Nacional). EBC produces a variety of content including news, documentaries, sports, educational programs, cultural and religious shows (TV Brasil broadcasts the Catholic Mass on Sundays).
Media assets
Television: TV Brasil, Canal Gov
Radio: Rádio Nacional FM, Nacional de Brasilia, Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Nacional da Amazonia, Nacional do Alto Solimoes, MEC FM Rio de Janeiro, MEC AM Rio de Janeiro
News agency: Agência Brasil, Radioagencia Nacional
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
EBC was created through the Law 11.562 of 2017 (year of amendment) as a public company subordinated to the the Secretariat of Social Communication in the Presidential Office of the Republic. According to the law (Art. 12), EBC is governed by several structures, the most important being the Board of Directors and the Executive Board whose members are all appointed by the government (mostly by the presidential office). The Director-President of the group is appointed through a presidential decree; the most recent one was promulgated in February 2019.
The Board of Directors consists of two advisers and four staff members (all appointed by the President). The Executive Board consists of the Director-President and the Director-General, both appointed by the Presidency of the Republic, and up to six directors appointed and who can be removed by the Board of Directors. Except for the Director-President, who has a four-year, renewable mandate, all other directors have three-year mandates with the possibility of a single renewal. This Executive Board has the function of directing, supervising, coordinating and controlling the activities of the company, as well as leading the strategic institutional planning. It takes responsibility for the concrete management of the corporation and coordinates its activity with the Board of Directors. The presence of the Director-President on both boards is meant to facilitate the dialog between them.
The Financial Council, another governance body that is composed of three members who are appointed by the government (through various ministries) is responsible for the supervision of the company’s financial management.
Source of funding and budget
The largest part of the EBC’s budget comes from the state through a direct budget allocation, state advertising or payments for services provided to various State institutions. In 2023, EBC’s total budget is supposed to reach BRL 741m (US$ 151m), most of it coming from the government budget. By law, EBC is supposed to be funded through a combination of budgetary allocations, sales of services to public or private entities (for example, sale and distribution of content), sponsorships and donations. The airtime allocated to state advertising cannot exceed 15% of EBC’s total programming, according to the law.
Editorial independence
The appointment of the EBC’s governing structures by the government is reflected in the government control of the outlet’s editorial content. The group employs some journalists known for their independence and critical reporting, but the editorial content that is disseminated by EBC’s media outlets depends on the directors of the day who are appointed by the government. In the past few years, that control has been intimately reflected in the broadcaster’s reporting on the President Jair Bolsonaro. Agencia Brasil, one of EBC’s outlets, broadcast overtly encomiastic coverage of the president and his work. Many of these articles highlight the interest of the president in the problems faced by people in Brazil, a tone that is specific for populist, state-controlled media. No criticism or negative comment about the president or his activities could be identified on any of the EBC’s platforms in 2020. In fact, evidence of government control at EBC has increased in the past year. As the privatization process at EBC has “accelerated”, reports of “heightened censorship and persecution” persist. These tendencies have not surprised independent observers as President Bolsonaro has significantly stepped up spending on public broadcasts in his attempt to secure reelection in 2022. In various reports, the EBC is referred to as the “mouthpiece of the state.”
In the fall of 2022, a dossier prepared by the EBC’s employees describes rife censorship and pressures in the company, including barred reporting, arbitrary transfers and intimidation.In July 2023, EBC announced the launch of a new government channel, Canal Gov, which is taking over all programs aimed at disseminating information about the government’s activities, with EBC’s main channel TV Brasil expected to stop covering the government. The move is hoped to release the pressure put by authorities on TV Brasil.
EBC operates based on legislation dating back to 2008 that was amended in 2017 (Law 11.652), which requires the company to ensure “pluralism” in its programming. In addition, the company has an internal Statute, which establishes the main rules regarding the operation of EBC. However, this statute, whose latest version was approved in 2020, does not establish or guarantee the editorial independence of the outlet. The company also has a series of other internal rules guiding its activity but they too refer to the functioning of the various administrative bodies within EBC, not being designed to guarantee the outlet’s editorial independence.
EBC has a Code of Ethics that establishes the main ethical norms that journalists employed by EBC have to follow in their work. EBC also has an Ombudsman whose main role is to gather complaints and criticism from the audience and address these issues with the EBC’s management.
The company also has a Programming Committee tasked to promote and encourage the citizen’s participation in EBC. The committee has 22 members, six of whom are nominated by the government and one by each chamber of parliament. One member is appointed by the EBC staff and the remaining 15 members are nominated by civil society groups. The Committee’s role is consultative only: it evaluates the content of EBC and makes suggestions to the company’s journalists and management.
August 2023