A tribe in the Amazon is suing The New York Times in a Los Angeles court, saying that a story the outlet published in 2024 defamed the indigenous group.
TMZ and Yahoo were also named as defendants in the lawsuit, which was filed by the Marubo Tribe of the Javari Valley in Brazil, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
The tribe seeks $180 million in damages from each individual outlet, but a Times spokesman said the paper would “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
The piece in question, which the Times published on June 2, 2024, was about the effects that the internet had on the secluded tribe — both the good and the bad.
According to the report, tribal leaders who were curious about the internet arranged with Brazilian activists to have Elon Musk’s Starlink brought to the Marubo villages.
But less than a year after first being exposed to the internet, the village reportedly experienced the same issues that modern societies have faced for years:
“Teenagers glued to phones; group chats full of gossip; addictive social networks; online strangers; violent video games; scams; misinformation; and minors watching pornography,” the Times piece read.
The report also described a tribal leader’s concerns about the technology, saying he was “most unsettled by the pornography. He said young men were sharing explicit videos in group chats, a stunning development for a culture that frowns on kissing in public,” the piece read.
But the lawsuit filing said the story misrepresented the tribe.
Will the tribe win its lawsuit?
“These statements were not only inflammatory but conveyed to the average reader that the Marubo people had descended into moral and social decline as a direct result of internet access,” an amended version of the lawsuit read, according to the AP.
“Such portrayals go far beyond cultural commentary; they directly attack the character, morality, and social standing of an entire people, suggesting they lack the discipline or values to function in the modern world,” the lawsuit read.
🚨AMAZON TRIBE GETS INTERNET – ENDS UP HOOKED ON PORN AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Nine months after gaining internet access through Starlink, the Marubo tribe in Brazil faces cultural upheaval.
Initially seen as a lifeline, the internet has brought unforeseen social issues, including a… pic.twitter.com/nBlCSoM0Yn
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 5, 2024
The lawsuit also accused TMZ and Yahoo of amplifying and sensationalizing the piece, and defaming the tribe further.
For instance, TMZ published an article titled, “TRIBE’S STARLINK HOOKUP RESULTS IN PORN ADDICTION!!!”
On June 14, 2024, following the sensationalized aggregation of its report, The New York Times published a follow-up story titled “No, a Remote Amazon Tribe Did Not Get Addicted to Porn.”
But the lawsuit stated the follow-up story “failed to acknowledge the role the NYT itself played in fueling the defamatory narrative. Rather than issuing a retraction or apology, the follow-up downplayed the original article’s emphasis on pornography by shifting blame to third-party aggregators.”
But the Times stands by its reporting.
“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,” a Times spokesman told the AP.
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