IAB expresses concern over measures that may compromise the confidentiality of journalistic sources in Brazil
The International Association of Broadcasting (IAB) expresses its concern over recent judicial measures adopted in Brazil involving journalist Luís Pablo and individuals identified as his sources of information.
IAB fully recognizes the authority of the competent authorities to investigate the possible commission of criminal offenses in accordance with the law and with full respect for due process guarantees. However, such authority must be exercised while rigorously safeguarding the constitutional and legal guarantees that protect freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the independent practice of journalism.
Among these guarantees, the right of journalists to preserve the confidentiality of their sources holds a fundamental place. The Brazilian Constitution expressly recognizes, in Article 5, item XIV, the confidentiality of journalistic sources when necessary for the exercise of the profession.
The protection of journalistic sources is also an essential safeguard for the free flow of information in a democratic society. Its violation, or the adoption of measures that may lead directly or indirectly to the identification of a source because of information provided to a journalist, can have a serious chilling effect on those who provide information of public interest and, consequently, affect the right of society as a whole to seek and receive information.
IAB recalls that investigations into possible unlawful conduct must be carried out through mechanisms compatible with the protection of journalistic activity, without turning journalists, their communications, their files, or their sources into instruments for discovering the origin of information obtained in the exercise of their profession.
Disputes arising from journalistic publications must be examined within the framework of the guarantees inherent in a democratic society, always preserving editorial freedom and avoiding measures that may generate intimidation or have an inhibiting effect on the practice of journalism.
The International Association of Broadcasting (IAB) supports and endorses the concerns expressed by its Institutional Partner in Brazil, the Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters (ABERT), the National Association of Newspapers (ANJ) and the National Association of Magazine Publishers (ANER), and calls upon the Brazilian authorities to ensure, in the course of any investigation, the full constitutional protection of the confidentiality of sources, freedom of the press and the free exercise of journalism, essential pillars of the Democratic Rule of Law.
Montevideo, August 12, 2026.