An Amazon tribe has sued the New York Times (NYT), claiming that a story about its high -speed Internet access led to false statements that the members of the tribe were addicted to pornography.
The Marubo tribe, a remote indigenous group of approximately 2,000 people, says that the article portrayed them as “unable to handle basic internet exposure.”
The demand says that the report highlighted “the accusations that its youth had been consumed by pornography.”
TMZ and Yahoo are also appointed in the demand. The Marubo claim that their coverage “made fun of their youth” and “misrepresented their traditions.”
The NYT denies saying that any member of the tribe was addicted to pornography. TMZ and Yahoo have not yet answered.
Nyt's article was published nine months after the Marube began using Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite Internet service.
He said the tribe “was already dealing with the same challenges that have accumulated American homes for years.”
The story referred to “adolescents attached to phones”, “violent video games” and “minors who look pornography.”
A community leader was summoned, who opposed the Internet, as “more restless for pornography.”
He said he had heard of the “most aggressive sexual behavior” among young men.
The article also mentioned the benefits of Internet access, such as informing health concerns, environmental threats and keeping the family.
The demand says that other media exaggerated the original report. The head of TMZ on porn addiction is cited as an example.
The Marubo says that this coverage triggered “a storm of global media.”
A week later, the NYT published a follow -up entitled: “No, a remote Tribe of Amazon did not become addicted to porn.”
That story pointed out that “more than 100 websites worldwide” they falsely said that the tribe had developed a pornography addiction.
Even so, the demand argues that the original article suggested that the tribe could not handle Internet access and damaged its reputation.
Ango Marubo, a tribal leader, and Flora Dutra, a Brazilian activist who helped bring Starlink to the tribe, are the appointed plaintiffs.
They say that reports caused “humiliation, harassment and irreparable damage” to their reputation and security.
They also claim that their TMZ video distributing antennas gave the “unmistakable impression” that introduced harmful and explicit material to the community.
A NYT spokesman said: “Any fair reading of this piece shows a sensitive and nuanced exploration of the benefits and complications of the new technology in a remote indigenous village with a proud history and a preserved culture.”
“We intend to defend ourselves vigorously against demand.”
(BBC)
Read too Main stories OF Nigerian tribe