 Veja logo as of 2011[update] | |
| Editorial director | Mauricio Lima |
|---|---|
| Categories | News, politics, economy, entertainment, sports and culture |
| Publisher | Editora Abril |
| Paid circulation | 184,391 (2021)[1] |
| First issue | 11 September 1968; 57 years ago (1968-09-11) |
| Country | Brazil |
| Based in | São Paulo |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Website | veja |
| ISSN | 0100-7122 |
| OCLC | 2464740 |
Veja (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈveʒɐ], English:see,look [at it]) is a Brazilian weeklynews magazine published inSão Paulo[2] and distributed throughout the country by mediaconglomerateGrupo Abril.[3][4] It is the leading weekly publication in the country and one of the most influential Brazilian publishing outlets.Veja publishes articles on politics, economics, culture, world events, entertainment, and war. It also regularly includes editorial pieces related to themes like technology, ecology, and religious debate. It has recurring sections on cinema, television, practical literature, music, and guides on diverse subjects.[5]It has been described as politically aligned withright-wing movements,[6][7][8] though it does not describe itself as such.[9]
Veja was first published on 11 September 1968,[3][10] and was subject to censorship by theBrazilian military dictatorship from 1969 to 1976.[11] In 1974 the magazine boosted the sales and the number of subscribers began to increase.[3]Veja is known for its attacks on the worldwide left-wing; for instance, when Cuban rulerFidel Castro left power, the magazine's front cover read "It was about time!" The magazine supportsfree market economy, more toughness on crime and the promotion ofindividual liberty. Well-known contributors to the magazine includeReinaldo Azevedo,Stephen Kanitz andLya Luft.
During its early days,Veja was known for publishinghoaxes as facts. In 1975 it declared that theLoch Ness Monster was real before ultimately recognizing the news were fake.[12] In 1983, it re-published anApril Fools' Day prank from the British magazineNew Science as real. According toVeja, scientists were able to fuse the molecules of a cow and a tomato in order to produce tomato-flavored meat.[13] In 1989, it published a controversial piece about singerCazuza, who was terminally ill from AIDS. It was considered of bad taste and proclaimed that the singer's legacy would not last.[14] The same year, the magazine published a cover praising then presidential hopefulFernando Collor de Mello laterimpeached for corruption.
On 2005, as part of its growing right-wing agenda,Veja defended the rejection ofthe prohibition of firearms in that year's referendum. According toFolha de S. Paulo columnist Barbara Gancia,Veja tried to mislead its readers presenting the referendum as a proposition of the ruling Workers' Party (PT) and its owners had aconflict of interest in campaigning against banning firearms;Veja's publishing company Editora Abril was a business partner of the Birmann family, owner of the Brazilian Cartridge Company. During the same year it was responsible for several news stories about theMensalão scandal.
Veja had a circulation of 1,086,200 copies in 2010.[15] In April 2012, the editor of the magazine Policarpo Júnior was accused by its rivalCartaCapital, based on information revealed by theFederal Police, of being a close acquaintance of casino owner Carlinhos Cachoeira (gambling is illegal in Brazil). Cachoeira was then arrested for money laundering. According toCartaCapital, Cachoeira was responsible for arranging and filming the bribery meeting in theCorreios which resulted in the Mensalão scandal. Júnior and Cachoeira had exchanged over 200 phone calls during the period investigated. The circulation of the magazine was 1,071,500 copies in 2012.[15]
The magazine is often the target of criticism for its bias, including from journalistsLuís Nassif in the special section of his blog[16] and Mino Carta himself in various editions of his magazine Carta Capital.[17][18][19][20][21] Both have filed lawsuits against the magazine and its columnists (in particular Diogo Mainardi) in relation to the accusations made by both parties.
In its 25 May 2007 issue,Veja ran a story on then-Senate president,Renan Calheiros, accusing him of accepting funds from alobbyist to pay for the child support of a daughter from an extramarital affair with journalist Monica Veloso.[22] During a speech in his defense given in the Senate floor, Calheiros accusedGrupo Abril,Veja's parent company, of having violated Brazilian corporate law in relation to its sale of 30% of the capital from its publishing arm to South African media groupNaspers.[23] Abril responded to Calheiros in a press release in which they denied all charges.[24]
In August 2010, theSuperior Electoral Court punishedVeja for pro-José Serra bias during its coverage of the2010 presidential election. The magazine published a claim made by Serra's vice-presidential candidateÍndio da Costa that theWorkers' Party (PT) had ties with theFuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia.Veja was forced to publish arebuttal note from PT.[25] Prior to the second round of the 2014 presidential election,Veja anticipated its weekly edition to publish a story claiming that both PresidentDilma Rousseff and her predecessorLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva were aware of a misappropriation scheme inside the state oil companyPetrobras.[26] The magazine headquarters was attacked by pro-PT protestors.[27] Once againVeja was forced by the Supreme Electoral Court to publish a rebuttal from PT.[28]
In July 2015 the magazine published a story claiming that federal contractor Léo Pinheiro would offer aplea bargaining claiming that Lula was aware and benefited from the aforementioned corruption case. However, Pinheiro published an article claiming that the statements attributed to him were fake.[29] As such, Lula decided to sueVeja for moral damages.[30][31] On the same issue, the magazine accused former soccer player and SenatorRomário of having a bank account in thetax haven country of Switzerland. After being sought by the Senator,Banca della Svizzera Italiana confirmed that the documents published byVeja were fake. BSI announced that it requested an investigation of the case by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland.[32] According to columnist Ricardo Noblat,Veja's actions might have been orchestrated by the Mayor ofRio de JaneiroEduardo Paes, once Romário is a strong contester in the upcoming municipal election.[33]
| Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total circulation | 1,178,100 | 1,121,600 | 1,232,700 | 802,100 | 546,300 | 261,300 | 184,391 |
