An indigenous community from the Brazilian Amazon has filed a lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging that the publication’s coverage of the group’s second online coverage led to its members being frequently described as technology-addled and porn attached. This year, the Marubo Tribe of the Javari Valley, a sovereign area of around 2,000 people in the forest, filed the defamation lawsuit in a judge in Los Angeles, asking for hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Additionally, it names TMZ and Yahoo as accused, alleging that their reports smeared the community and magnified and sensationalized the Times ‘ monitoring. The Marubo people were depicted as a group unable to handle simple exposure to the internet, according to the lawsuit, which was cited in the Times ‘ June 2024 report by writer Jack Nicas about how the group handled the launch of satellite service through Elon Musk’s Starlink. An amended edition of the lawsuit filed on Thursday reads,” These remarks were not only aggressive but also showed to the ordinary reader that the Marubo persons had descended into moral and social collapse as a result of internet exposure.” These portrayals go beyond social remark; They immediately criticize an entire population’s personality, morality, and social standing, giving the impression that they lack the skill or values to perform in the modern world. A Times spokesman said in a statement to The Associated Press that “any good reading of this piece shows a delicate and subtle exploration of the benefits and complexities of innovative technology in a rural Indigenous village with a glad history and maintained culture. We intend to fight the petition rapidly. The area was now facing the same types of problems with the widespread effects of the computer and the development of smartphones, which a large portion of the world has dealt with for years, according to Nicas ‘ story. Teenagers glued to devices; a wide range of those issues were listed by Nicas. gossip-filled group messages addicted social media platforms; website scams; violent video games schemes misconceptions and kids who watch porn. He later claimed that a cultural chief “is most uneasy by the pornography.” He claimed that young men were engaging in obvious video sharing in class discussions, which was a remarkable enhancement for a culture that disapproves of kissing in public. The article makes no other notice of video, but another stores, including TMZ, which published a narrative and film titled” Elon Musk’s Starlink Hookup Leaves A Remote Tribe Addicted To Porn,” added that feature. The movie segment, according to the lawsuit, “falsly depicted the Marubo Tribe as having descended into social decline.” Fox and Internet emailed comments that didn’t get right away. The Times published a follow-up because of the misconceptions brought on by the formation and rehashing of the story. In the following story Nicas wrote,” The Marubo people are not addicted to porn.” The New York Times article didn’t mention this in the bush, and there was no mention of it. The community, which claims in the petition that it “failed to acknowledge the role the NYT itself played in fueling the slanderous tale,” was not satisfied with that. The follow-up downplayed the original author’s focus on sex by shifting chastise to third-party aggregator more than issuing a correction or apology. Nicas claimed to have spent a week with the Marubo community. According to the lawsuit, he was only invited for a month, but he only spent less than 48 hours in the town, which is “barely enough time to observe, comprehend, or graciously join with the community.” Courthouse News first reported on the complaint. Additionally appearing in the case are Brazilian journalist and psychologist Flora Dutra and community head Enoque Marubo. The tribe’s involvement in getting the internet connection, which they claim has had a number of positive results, including facilitating child learning and emergency healthcare, has been greatly appreciated. They cited the News film, which depicts them setting up antennas for the network, as giving the impression that the two “had introduced dangerous, sexually explicit material into the community and facilitated the alleged moral and social decay.” ” The lawsuit seeks at least$ 180 million, including both general and punitive damages, from each of the defendants. The lawsuit claims that the publication “ruined lives, institutions, and culturally significant projects” and that its impact was not limited to the general public. “
