Secretariat of Social Communication (Brazil)

The Secretariat of Social Communication (Secretaria de Comunicação Social, Secom) is a cabinet-level federal ministry in Brazil. With a Ministry status, it is responsible for the release of funds and management of adversiting contracts signed by the Federal Government.

With the ministry reform promoted by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2007, the Secretariat incorporated the Secretariat of Press and Spokesperson, which is responsible for the relationship between the government and the media. This coincidence of attributions was criticized by external analysts.

History
Between the end of the Gushiken administration and the 2007 ministry reform, Secom was an under-secretariat under the Secretariat-General of the Presidency. However, after the 2019 reform under the Bolsonaro administration, Secom became part of the Secretariat of Government.

On 10 June 2020, the Special Secretariat of Social Communication of the Secretariat of Government of the Presidency was extinct by Provisional Measure 980/2020, having its attributions merged into the re-created Ministry of Communications. The Secretariat was restored by the conversion of the Provisional Measure into Law 14074/2020.

Controversies
Writing to The Intercept Brasil, João Filho questioned the raise of public expenditure to RecordTV and other TV and radio broadcasters which owners were close to president Jair Bolsonaro. Prior to his administration, the public expenditure to broadcasters was spent according to their respective audience levels, but the method was cancelled with no reason.

On 15 January 2020, it was revealed by Folha de S. Paulo that Fábio Wajngarten, head of the Secretariat, received through a company which he's a partner, money from TV broadcasters and advertisement agencies which has contracts signed with Bolsonaro administration. Among them are Rede Bandeirantes and RecordTV. This fact was analyzed by Reporters Without Borders, which analyzed the attacks of Bolsonaro against the press. In June 2020, an investigation published by Agência Pública confirmed that Evangelical broadcasters and pastors supporters of the government were the ones who most received public expenditures from the Secretariat, which were at least 30 million reais. The majority of the money was destined to RecordTV, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and the International Grace of God Church.

In July 2020, another investigation by Agência Pública shows that the government, through the Secretariat, sponsored advertising in YouTube of the Social Security Reform in child content, Bolsonaro supporters, religious and fake news channels.

In a complaint filled by the Federal Prosecutor Office of Citizen Rights, the former secretary, Fábio Wajngarten, was charged by the crimes of apology for crime and criminal in the Federal Justice of the Federal District due to tweets praising crimes committed by the Brazilian military during the Araguaia Guerrilla and to Major Sebastião Curió.