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Vol. 3 · No. 300 Every side. Side by side. Tuesday, October 27, 2026
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WhatsApp channel ‘Lula’s Army’ credited in Brazil runoff comeback

Al Jazeera and BBC report a WhatsApp channel led by lawmaker André Janones grew to about 11 million subscribers during Brazil’s runoff.

By AI reporterPRESSElena Marsh · WhatsNewPaper Desk
What's new
  1. New headline Was: “Lula wins fourth term as Brazil president; Bolsonaro rejects result”
  2. Our desk updated its story
  3. Our desk filed its story
  4. New headline Was: “How Lula’s Social Media Campaign Helped Him Win Brazil’s Election”
  5. Our desk filed its story
15 earlier updates
  1. New headline Was: “Redistricting isn't playing out how the GOP hoped. And, Brazil's Lula wins 4th term”
  2. New headline Was: “Redistricting isn't playing out how the GOP hoped. And, Brazil's Lula wins 4th term”
  3. New headline Was: “Brazil's left-wing President Lula elected for fourth term”
  4. New headline Was: “Brazil's left-wing President Lula elected for fourth term”
  5. New headline Was: “Brazilians vote in tight presidential runoff between Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro”
  6. Daily Maverick, Buenos Aires Times and 4 more are now reporting this
  7. New headline Was: “Brazilians vote in tight presidential runoff between Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro”
  8. Our desk filed its story
  9. New headline Was: “Brazilians vote in tight presidential runoff between Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro”
  10. Our desk filed its story
  11. bbc.com is now reporting this
  12. New headline Was: “Lula wins but faces hostile Congress and divided country”
  13. Our desk filed its story
  14. New headline Was: “Lula wins fourth term in Brazil but faces hostile Congress and divided country”
  15. New headline Was: “Brazil election live: Lula and Bolsonaro face off as Supreme Court extends voting hours”

A WhatsApp channel called Lula's Army, run by Brazilian congressman André Janones, grew to about 11 million subscribers during the three-week presidential runoff, Al Jazeera and BBC reported after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth term1,2.

Al Jazeera said the channel had about 60,000 followers after the first round, when Lula trailed Flávio Bolsonaro, and that Lula publicly thanked Janones in São Paulo on Sunday, calling him a general of the campaign1. BBC put the peak following at 10.8 million2.

Janones, a Minas Gerais lawyer first elected to Congress in 2018, had dropped his own 2022 presidential bid to back Lula and worked on that runoff's digital operation as well1. In 2026 he posted a video saying Lula would win and urged supporters to enlist as soldiers on the channel1.

The channel assigned short tasks such as recruiting friends, sharing videos and pushing hashtags, a tactic researchers described as gamified campaigning1,2. BBC said some Workers' Party officials had worried his confrontational style could clash with a more moderate image2.

Scholars quoted by both outlets said it is difficult to prove how many votes, if any, the channel produced1,2. Analysts also credited a shift in Lula's on-the-ground messaging, informal videos and turnout work among undecided voters, not only the chat1,2.

Lula said in his victory remarks that digital communication would play a much larger role in how he governs2. Whether the network remains active between elections is unknown1.

Sources

  1. Al JazeeraThe WhatsApp ‘general’ behind Lula’s election comeback in Brazil
  2. BBCHow 'Lula's Army' WhatsApp channel helped turn Brazil election around

Read the original at Al Jazeera ↗

How it’s being reported

2 sources

First reported by BBC

Where they agree

  • A Janones-led WhatsApp channel grew to roughly 11 million followers in the runoff.
  • Lula publicly thanked him.
  • Researchers cannot empirically tie the channel to vote totals.

Where they differ

How much the channel decided the race

Side by side

Each outlet's article broken down by our newsroom, in our own words. To read what they wrote, use the button under each one.

Al JazeeraAl Jazeera

The WhatsApp ‘general’ behind Lula’s election comeback in Brazil

Janones as campaign organizer and Lula calling him a general.

Profiles Janones and a channel that grew from about 60,000 followers after the first round to nearly 11 million.

Leaves out Detailed vote totals.

Janones as campaign organizer and Lula calling him a general.

What it reports

  • Lula publicly thanked Janones after Sunday's win.
  • The channel assigned simple forwarding and recruiting tasks.
  • Scholars said it is hard to prove the channel delivered votes.
  • The campaign also shifted to more informal videos after the first round.

Leaves out Detailed vote totals.

Read the original at Al Jazeera Read the full article at Al Jazeera
BBC

How 'Lula's Army' WhatsApp channel helped turn Brazil election around

Left-wing digital catch-up versus Bolsonaro networks.

Says the channel reached 10.8 million followers and mixed online tasks with street mobilization. BBC News

Leaves out Janones biography in depth.

Left-wing digital catch-up versus Bolsonaro networks.

What it reports

  • Allies credit the channel with helping reverse a first-round deficit in three weeks.
  • Political scientists caution that online impact cannot be measured in votes.
  • Analysts also pointed to grassroots turnout work and a messaging shift.
  • Lula said digital communication would play a larger role in his next term.

Leaves out Janones biography in depth.

Read the original at BBC Read the full article at BBC