- Demands $180m Damages
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Marubo people, an indigenous tribe in the Amazon, have initiated a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times over a recent publication by the news platform.
The tribe maintained that the publication, containing a report on their access to high-speed internet, reeks of damaging and false portrayals of their community, including claims of pornography addiction
The BBC reported the development on Friday
According to the lawsuit, the tribe alleged that the NYT article misrepresented its people’s response to internet access provided by Elon Musk’s Starlink service.
The tribe added that the report painted its people as primitives who were “unable to handle basic exposure to the internet” and implied their youth had become “consumed by pornography.”
The lawsuit also named TMZ and Yahoo as defendants, and said their news stories “mocked their youth” and “misrepresented their traditions”.
Meanwhile, the NYT has defended its publication, maintaining that its original report was a “sensitive and nuanced” look at how new technology is affecting remote communities.
The news platform argued that the report was not one-sided as it included both challenges such as youth viewing violent content and benefits like improved communication and access to health alerts.
The tribe, numbering about 2,000 members, is seeking at least $180 million in damages.
According to BBC, the NYT’s story, written nine months after the Marubo gained access to Starlink, a satellite-internet service from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, said the tribe was “already grappling with the same challenges that have racked American households for years”.
This included “teenagers glued to phones”, “violent video games” and “minors watching pornography”, the report said.
The BBC said the NYT report was sparked by the reaction of a community leader and vocal critic of the internet who was “most unsettled by the pornography”, and had been told of “more aggressive sexual behaviour” from young men.
As shown in the lawsuit, plaintiffs include Marubo leader Enoque Marubo and Brazilian activist Flora Dutra, who helped introduce Starlink to the community.
They say the media coverage sparked a “global media storm” that led to harassment and harm to their reputations and safety.
A follow-up NYT article later clarified; “No, A Remote Amazon Tribe Did Not Get Addicted to Porn,” noting that over 100 outlets had mischaracterized the original story.
The Marubo claim the coverage, including a TMZ video of antenna distribution, falsely implied they had introduced harmful content to their own people, contributing to a narrative of moral decline.
“Any fair reading of this piece shows a sensitive and nuanced exploration of the benefits and complications of new technology in a remote Indigenous village with a proud history and preserved culture.
“We intend to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” a spokesperson for the New York Times was quoted to have said.
