10/10/2023 10:40, updated 10/10/2023 10:40
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) said that the investigation showing that comedian Marcius Melhem created a misogynistic network to attack women who reported him for sexual harassment was actually prepared by the university, and denied what the former director of humor TV Globo had said yesterday.
In a statement published this Tuesday (October 10), UFRJ said that the study was not linked to the rectory, but rather was “the product of one of the 1,456 research laboratories of our centuryold university.”
“The Rectorate of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro informs that, contrary to the publications of Marcius Melhem, former director of TV Globo, the Rectorate has not declared that the study prepared by the laboratory “Multiplatform Orchestration of Misogyny: The Marcius Melhem Case” of Internet and Social Media Studies (NetLab) by the School of Communication (ECO) has no connection to UFRJ. Even though I stated in an email that the research had nothing to do with the parish office, it is actually the product of one of the 1,456 research laboratories of our centuryold university,” the parish office said in the statement.
The note continued in defense of NetLab.
“The research conducted by NetLab is a case study and part of the Gender Disinformation and Hate Speech research line. In this sense, the laboratory examines various communication campaigns that attack, defame, violate and devalue women and their rights through digital platforms. (…) NetLab explores topics that have gained prominence in the media and on the public agenda. “We emphasize that the abovementioned laboratory is recognized for its excellence and contribution,” the text says.
This Tuesday (September 10), the column showed that the State Ministry of São Paulo (MPSP) has a study showing that Melhem, accused of sexual harassment, created a virtual community with misogynistic content to attack the complainants .
The study identified orchestrated behavior aimed at demoralizing the complainants and even damaging advertising campaigns featuring one of their accusers.
Melhem recorded a video yesterday afternoon in which he used an email from the UFRJ press office stating that the research does not belong to the parish to create the narrative that the university would not support the study. Based on his video, his followers began spreading the word that claiming the research came from the university was “fake news.”