Editors and journalists from some of the world’s largest news organizations have written to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro urging him to “urgently step up and fully endeavor” to find the late British journalist Dom Phillips and his defender. Brazilian indigenous Bruno Pereira.
Led by the Guardian and the Washington Post, two newspapers for which Phillips worked as a freelance correspondent, editors from at least 20 major media and freedom of the press organizations signed the open letter, which was published on Thursday.
Other signatories include senior editors of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Folha de S.Paulo, National Public Radio, Bloomberg News, Associated Press, Pulitzer Center, Bureau of Investigative Journalism, ProPublica, The Intercept, Public Agency for Investigative Journalism, Dagens Nyheter, Mongabay, Stat, Reporters Without Borders, the Wallace House Center for Journalists and the agency epbr.
“We are writing to express our deep concern for the safety and whereabouts of our colleague and friend Dom Phillips, and Bruno Araújo Pereira, with whom Dom was traveling. Dom is a globally respected journalist with a deep love for Brazil and its people, “said the letter, which was also addressed to Brazil’s defense and foreign ministers.
“As you know from numerous press reports, Dom and Bruno have been missing from the Amazon for more than three days. Their families, friends and colleagues have repeatedly asked for help from local, state and national authorities and emergency services.
“As editors and colleagues who have worked with Dom, we are now very concerned about reports from Brazil that search and rescue efforts have so far been under-resourced, with national authorities slow to offer more assistance. that very limited.
“We urge you to step up urgently and give full resources to the effort to locate Dom and Bruno, and to provide all possible support to their families and friends.”
The two men were last seen Sunday morning on the Itaquai River in the far west of Brazil.
Rescue team finds missing British journalist Dom Philipps and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira on the Javari River in Acre, Brazil, on the border with Peru Photo: Amazon Military Command / AFP / Getty Images
Phillips was working on a book on the development of the rainforest and was accompanied by Pereira, an explorer who has been working with the region’s indigenous tribes for years.
The area where they traveled is remote and the search effort was slow to begin. In the hours following the disappearance of the two men, the Brazilian army said it was awaiting orders before a search could begin.
On Wednesday, as public pressure rose in the midst of lighting campaigns such as football legend Pelé, singer and songwriter Caetano Veloso and actor Camila Pitanga, officials said they had increased their operations by 250 people, two planes, three drones and 16 ships involved in the search.
Police said he had arrested a man, sources said he had been seen with Phillips and Pereira, but officials said they had not directly linked him to any crime.
At the same time, media organizations have come together to pressure a government that has shown contempt for the media since it came to power in 2019.
The extremist president of Brazil has often attacked the press, even highlighting journalists with insults and abuse.
Bolsonaro even seemed to blame Phillips and Pereira for their own problems when he described his trip as a report “an adventure that is not recommended for anyone.”
In an editorial, The Guardian called on governments and organizations to put pressure on the far-right leader.
“It is very unlikely that the government will change course without international pressure,” he said. “It must first be taken into account to produce an appropriate response to this disappearance.”
Complete list of signatories to the letter
Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of Guardian News & Media
Sally Buzbee, executive editor of the Washington Post
Dean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times
Sérgio Dávila, editor in chief, Folha de S.Paulo
Nancy Barnes, senior vice president of news and editorial director of NPR
John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News
Julie Pace, Vice President and Executive Editor, Associated Press
Juan Forero, head of the South American office, Wall Street Journal
Marina Walker Guevara, Executive Editor, Pulitzer Center
Rozina Breen, Editor-in-Chief and CEO of the Office of Investigative Journalism
Stephen Engelberg, Editor-in-Chief of ProPublica
Paul Webster, editor, The Observer
Jason Ukman, Editor-in-Chief
Thiago Domenici, director of the Public Agency for Investigative Journalism
Rhett Butler, founder and CEO of Mongabay
Peter Wolodarski, Editor-in-Chief, Dagens Nyheter
Roger Hodge, assistant editor, The Intercept
Felipe Maciel, executive director, agency epbr
Phil Chetwynd, global news director, AFP
Emmanuel Colombié, Latin American director of Reporters Without Borders
Lynette Clemetson, director of the Wallace House Center for Journalists
Quinn McKew, Executive Director, Article 19
Gregory Feifer, Executive Director, Institute of Current World Affairs
Lindsey Hilsum, international editor, Channel 4 News
Christina Lamb, Chief Foreign Correspondent, Sunday Times
Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Channel 4 News presenter
Jon Lee Anderson, biographer and writer, The New Yorker