Right-wing Brazil candidate commits to free press after calling it 'trash'


Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro is pictured during a news conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 11, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's leading presidential candidate vowed to defend freedom of the press after his tirades against the media and reports of his supporters attacking journalists raised fears that civil liberties might suffer if he is elected.

Soon after describing the media as "trash" in a Thursday tweet, far-right congressman and former army captain Jair Bolsonaro turned around and called journalists "friends," pledging to defend their work.

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