Javari Valley, Brazil, May 24, 2025 – The Marubo tribe, an Indigenous community of approximately 2,000 people in Brazil’s remote Javari Valley, has filed a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times (NYT), TMZ, and Yahoo, alleging that a June 2024 NYT article about their first exposure to high-speed internet via Starlink led to them being smeared as “porn addicts” and “technology-addled.” The lawsuit, filed in a Los Angeles court and seeking at least $180 million in damages, claims the reporting caused irreparable harm to the tribe’s reputation and subjected them to global humiliation.
The NYT article, written by reporter Jack Nicas, explored the impact of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet on the Marubo, who received 20 antennas in 2022, donated by American philanthropist Allyson Reneau and facilitated by Brazilian activist Flora Dutra. While the piece highlighted benefits like emergency medical access and communication with distant relatives, it also noted challenges, including “teenagers glued to phones,” “group chats full of gossip,” and “minors watching pornography,” quoting tribal leader Alfredo Marubo on concerns about explicit content. The lawsuit argues that the article portrayed the Marubo as unable to handle basic internet exposure, fueling a “global media storm” when outlets like TMZ ran sensationalized headlines such as “Tribe’s Starlink Hookup Results in Porn Addiction!!!”
In response to the backlash, the NYT published a follow-up on June 14, 2024, titled “No, A Remote Amazon Tribe Did Not Get Addicted to Porn,” stating that over 100 websites worldwide had falsely claimed Marubo addiction to pornography, which Nicas denied observing during his visit. The tribe’s lawsuit, however, contends that the NYT failed to acknowledge its role in sparking the narrative, instead shifting blame to third-party aggregators without issuing a retraction or apology. It also disputes Nicas’ claim of spending a week with the tribe, alleging he stayed less than 48 hours, insufficient to understand their culture.
Plaintiffs, including community leader Enoque Marubo and Flora Dutra, argue that the coverage mocked their youth and misrepresented their traditions, causing “humiliation, harassment, and irreparable harm.” The suit cites a TMZ video showing antenna setup as creating an “unmistakable impression” that Enoque and Dutra introduced harmful content, damaging culturally significant projects. X posts reflect polarized sentiment, with @OpIndia_com amplifying the tribe’s claims and @IndyEspanol noting the global reach of the defamation.
The NYT defends its reporting as “sensitive and nuanced,” emphasizing that it never directly claimed the Marubo were addicted to pornography and plans to “vigorously defend” against the lawsuit. TMZ and Yahoo have not yet responded publicly. The case, first reported by Courthouse News Service, underscores tensions between media portrayals of Indigenous communities and their right to self-representation, with the Marubo asserting that the fallout “destroyed lives, institutions, and culturally significant projects.” As the legal battle unfolds, it raises questions about responsible journalism in the age of viral misinformation.