text: Freedom of the press After Lula was infuriated by a May 9, 2004, New York Times article that claimed he had a drinking problem, Brazil ordered the New York Times reporter, Larry Rohter, to leave the country and revoked his visa because he had written a story "offensive to the honour of the president." Lula said: "Certainly its author ... must be more worried than I am ... it deserves action."  Brazil's presidential palace threatened to take legal action against the New York Times, which stood by the story and said that the expulsion raised serious questions about freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Brazil. No journalist had been expelled from Brazil since its military dictatorship ended in the mid-1980s. Brazilian opposition senator Tasso Jereissati said: "This is ridiculous. It's more like the immature act of a dictator of a third-rate republic..." Brazil's second largest union, Força Sindical, issued a statement expressing concern that: "it is a reaction typical of authoritarian governments that don't like contrary voices." Despite criticism, on May 13, 2004, Lula said "he would not consider revoking the action." The government subsequently changed its position, and allowed the reporter to remain.
  Three months later Lula introduced legislation to create a Brazil National Journalists’ Council that would have the power to “orient, discipline and monitor” journalists and their work.   Critics called the draft law the worst affront to press freedom since censorship under the military dictatorship. The government also proposed the establishment of a National Cinema and Audiovisual Agency that would have the power to conduct prior reviews of programming and to veto certain programs if they believed that they did not to meet standards of “editorial responsibility.”
  Corruption scandals and controversy
  Lula's administration was plagued by numerous corruption scandals, notably the Mensalão $50 million vote-buying scandal and  during Lula's first term.
  Mensalão vote-buying scandal
  In the 2005 Mensalão $50 million vote-buying scandal, Brazilian attorney general Álvaro Augusto Ribeiro Costa presented charges against 40 politicians and officials involved in the Mensalão affair, including several charges against Lula himself. Lula said that he knew nothing about the scandals.