The Marubo tribe, an Amazonian community, has initiated a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times following a report that they claim wrongfully portrayed them as incapable of managing internet exposure. Enoque Marubo, the community leader, and Flora Dutra, the activist who helped bring high-speed internet access with Starlink antennas, are suing to stop it. In particular, they claim that the article has led to blanket mischaracterization and vilification of their community.
Read the New York Times’ recent account of the Marubo tribe’s groundbreaking victory. Thanks to Dutra’s help, they were able to procure 20 Starlink antennas. The article paints a very troubling picture. It insinuates that the tribe’s youth have gotten hooked on porn because their new smartphones allowed them access to it for the first time. As the plaintiffs argue, this narrative has stigmatized their community as identified porn addicts. In return, they have suffered shaming, stalking, and permanent damage to their names and security.
The lawsuit highlights that the original report failed to present factual evidence supporting claims about the youth’s consumption of pornography. Furthermore, it accuses the New York Times of creating a narrative that depicts the Marubo people as “unable to handle basic exposure to the internet.”
The consequences from that one piece have been seismic. Courthouse News Service described how the event fueled a “worldwide media firestorm.” Within hours, over 100 outlets wowed the internet with clickbait headlines that parroted the unverified assertions about the tribe’s supposed new addiction to adult content.
“portrayed the Marubo people as a community unable to handle basic exposure to the internet, highlighting allegations that their youth had become consumed by pornography” – The lawsuit
Dutra coordinated the rapid and strategic distribution of the Starlink antennas. As she explained her legal objections to the report, written testimony completely ignored and distorted the tribe’s long-standing traditions and ridiculed their young people. The plaintiffs maintain that these depictions only added to the trauma they’ve experienced in response to the New York Times’ story.
In a statement responding to the lawsuit, counsel for the NY Times asserted that their reporting was done “with the utmost integrity.” They stated, “Any fair reading of this piece shows a sensitive and nuanced exploration of the benefits and complications of new technology in a remote Indigenous village with a proud history and preserved culture.”
From their joint statement, it seems clear that they intend to fight the lawsuit tooth and nail. They claim that their journalism was correct and responsible.