TRE-MG orders ICL Notícias to remove reports saying Nikolas called Vorcaro “handsome”

The Minas Gerais Regional Electoral Court ordered ICL Notícias to take down within 24 hours reports and social media posts claiming that federal lawmaker and reelection candidate Nikolas Ferreira called banker Daniel Vorcaro “handsome.”

The preliminary ruling partially granted a response-rights request from Ferreira. Judge Jair Francisco dos Santos said he listened to the audio and found that the lawmaker referred to Vorcaro as “Dani” in every passage, never as “handsome.” ICL’s report, however, said the disputed word appeared in the official transcript of an audio recording in which Ferreira asked Vorcaro to help his lawyer and former congressional aide, Thiago Rodrigues de Faria, secure the release of a mining asset.

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It is evident that the likelihood of the right exists, since the soundness and integrity of the information system were violated by the publication of news in which the term used by the representative to say goodbye to banker Daniel Vorcaro was altered.

“It is evident that the likelihood of the right exists, since the soundness and integrity of the information system were violated by the publication of news in which the term used by the representative to say goodbye to banker Daniel Vorcaro was altered,” Santos wrote. The judge cited the proximity of the election and the rapid spread of what he called “demonstrably false” content online.

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demonstrably false

The order applies to the report on ICL’s website and posts on Instagram and Facebook, with Meta also instructed to make them unavailable. ICL said it had not yet been notified. The decision did not require removal of every item related to the case. Santos considered it disproportionate to take down a video longer than three minutes in which journalist Juliana Dal Piva analyzed the events. He also allowed another video, featuring journalist Xico Sá discussing the episode, to remain online because the public interest in analyzing the audio outweighed the removal request and there was no clear intention to publish false news.

Ferreira also argued that the claim that he asked Vorcaro to arrange the “release of a mining asset” was false and defamatory. The judge found no electoral irregularity in that allegation, according to the report.

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In balancing the interests at stake, in the case of these three publications, I find that the public interest in disseminating the reports prevails.