Newspaper was fined in a single-judge decision for publishing on its website, in 2019, an article about Philip Morris’ institutional campaign
In 2019, the propmark produced a report on an institutional campaign by Philip Morris Brazil, which aimed to “inform and encourage debate in society about alternatives for adults who continue to smoke”, based on information obtained through the company’s press office.
As a result, recently, the propmark was notified about the administrative decision of Anvisa, taken monocratically by the general manager and entitled “Judging Authority” Stefania Schimaneski Piras, who fined the newspaper in the amount of R$ 75 thousand for “irregular advertising of smoking products derived from tobacco or not on the website under its responsibility”.
The content of the news article commented on a study conducted by Povaddo on “the impact of tobacco use on smokers’ personal relationships and access to information about better alternatives to cigarettes, which may be available on the market, such as heated tobacco devices and electronic cigarettes.”
The text also highlighted Philip Morris Brazil’s position on the issue. “The company emphasizes that quitting smoking is the best option – the only one without risk. At the same time, it draws attention to the fact that Brazilian adults who continue to smoke do not have the possibility of choosing options that are less harmful to their health.”
O propmark clarifies that it will appeal in the administrative sphere against Anvisa’s monocratic decision and, if the appeal is deemed unfounded, it will go to court to annul this fine because Anvisa treated journalism as if it were “propaganda”.
