The amount of amends requested in lawsuits against newspapers from the countryside of São Paulo is higher than half of their income

The newspapers Integração, from Tatuí, and Jornal da Cidade, from Adamantina, are being suited, which is considered intimidating by the president of the Countryside Newspapers Association of São Paulo (Adjori-SP), Carlos Balladas. “Every newspaper, specially the small ones, are constantly threatened. In most cases, the suits are ungrounded. Like in these cases, for instance, the newspaper only reproduced information and now it is the one to be accused. It is abusive, a threat to the freedom of speech. Being a journalist, I am also threatened in an indirect way, when people reduce the budget or do not answer my phone calls. This financial and economical intimidations are as serious as the lawsuits”.
 
The newspaper Integração is being sued for moral damages by Henrique Autran Dourado, chief of the Conservatory of Music. The lawsuit suit refers to several articles published by the newspaper, and the amends correspond to 70 per cent of the newspaper monthly income.  
 
In a post published in his blog, the newspaper editor José Rainer cites: “Among the articles considered offensive are included: a sentence praising the citizens of Tatuí, who managed the Conservatory; speculation about the changes in the guidance of the Conservatory; a note from the editorial office commenting on the letter sent by Ronaldo Bianchi, deputy secretary of the State Department of Culture, spontaneously published by the newspaper; an article entitled “Federal Constitution Protects the Teachers of the Conservatory”; and finally an article about a motion for repudiation, carried out by the city councilman Joaquim Amado Véio Quevedo, in the City Council of Tatuí, aiming the elimination of the AACT art director position, occupied by Maestro Antonio Carlos Neves Campos”.
 
In interview to Abraji, Reiner said: “What is in the danger is the freedom of the press. We didn´t do anything besides publishing facts. If we can not publish facts from the City Council of Tatuí, which does not favor some interests, so it is better to shut down the newspaper. It would be 33 years of journalism for nothing. But we believe that the constitution itself will favor us. We still believe in freedom in this country”.  
 
The pre-argument conference is scheduled for June, 26.
 
The newspaper Jornal da Cidade is being sued by the Mayor, José Francisco Figueiredo (DEM Party). The newspaper published a quote of council-woman Cleusa, from the Pastoral Congregation of Santo Antônio. The quote mentioned: “according to what I was told, the group of Kiko [Mayor’s nickname] does not accept me as the vice because I am fat, poor and from PT party”.
The Mayor is suing the newspaper, not the council-woman. In the request of amends, he asks 200 minimum wages [average U$ 4600] to be designated to a charity entity. The due would bring serious financial problems to the newspaper, that has a monthly income of 6 thousand Reais [ average 3 thousand dollars].  

The lawsuit hearing is scheduled for September, 23.