Amazon's Marubo Tribe Sues NYT, TMZ, Yahoo for Defamation Over "Porn-Addicted" Portrayal
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Marubo Tribe, a sovereign community of approximately 2,000 individuals residing in Brazil's Javari Valley, has initiated legal action against The New York Times. The lawsuit claims that a June 2024 article by reporter Jack Nicas misrepresented the tribe's initial experiences with the internet, leading to damaging portrayals of its members as addicted to pornography.
Filed in Los Angeles, the defamation suit seeks hundreds of millions in damages and also names TMZ and Yahoo as defendants. The tribe asserts that these outlets exacerbated the negative narrative stemming from the Times' reporting.
The contentious article discussed the introduction of satellite internet service via Elon Musk’s Starlink. It suggested that the Marubo people struggled with the internet's impact, particularly highlighting claims that their youth had become engrossed in pornography. “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,” the lawsuit contends.
A spokesperson for The New York Times defended the article, stating it provided a nuanced examination of the challenges and benefits of new technology in an Indigenous community. “We intend to vigorously defend against the lawsuit,” they added.
Nicas’ piece outlined various issues faced by the tribe, including teenagers preoccupied with smartphones and exposure to misinformation. He noted that a tribal leader expressed concern over young men sharing explicit videos in group chats, a significant cultural shift for a community that traditionally disapproves of public displays of affection.
👁️ Into the strange, the chilling, or the downright unbelievable?
Join r/ShadowReports — a community for unsettling facts, terrifying news, and bizarre true stories that stick with you. If it’s awful, eerie, or just plain wild, you’ll find it here.
👉 Explore r/ShadowReportsTrending Amazon Finds
While the article briefly mentioned pornography, it was other media outlets, particularly TMZ, that sensationalized this aspect. TMZ's coverage included a headline claiming that Starlink had left the tribe “addicted to porn,” which the lawsuit argues falsely depicted the Marubo Tribe as morally compromised.
Attempts to reach TMZ and Yahoo for comment were unsuccessful. Following the backlash, The New York Times published a follow-up article clarifying that “the Marubo people are not addicted to pornography.” However, the tribe argues this response failed to address the original article's role in perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
The lawsuit highlights that Nicas spent less than 48 hours with the Marubo Tribe, raising questions about his understanding of their culture. Community leader Enoque Marubo and Brazilian journalist Flora Dutra, both named in the suit, played crucial roles in establishing the internet connection, which they assert has brought numerous benefits, including improved access to emergency medical services and educational resources.
They claim that the portrayal in media created an “unmistakable impression” that they introduced harmful content into their community. The lawsuit demands at least $180 million in damages from each defendant, emphasizing that the fallout from the publication has severely impacted lives and cultural projects.
