Brazilian Challenger Series Surfer Sponsored By ‘Big Truth’
The unlikely alliance between a pro surfer and independent journalism.
When Igor Moraes first paddled out at Newcastle to kick off this season’s Challenger Series, the most coveted real estate on his board wasn’t hawking energy drinks or boardshorts.
Instead, it read: “Mais Pelo Jornalismo” — a grassroots Brazilian initiative fighting fake news and helping independent local media stay alive in underserved regions.
“I didn’t have a single financial sponsor when I qualified,” Igor tells me from California where he awaits the start of the US Open. “I was teaching surf lessons, editing videos, doing anything I could to make it work. I was terrified of having to give up my dream because I couldn’t afford it.”
Igor, 28, is from Maresias — the same wave-rich beach town that produced three-time World Champ Gabriel Medina. They’re just under four years apart.
“Growing up, Gabe and I would surf all day, then play cops and robbers outside his house,” he laughs. “No cell phones, just waves and games. It was a different time.”
Their lives diverged, but the Medina family never stopped supporting Igor — not just financially when needed, paying for competition entry fees and insurance when he had no income, but also with gear, encouragement, and wisdom, especially from Charles, Medina’s stepfather.
“He’s given me fins, asked if I needed anything. But it’s the conversations I value the most,” Igor says. “That family changed how I see the world.”
And that’s exactly what happened again when a new kind of support entered his life.
“Mais Pelo Jornalismo” (More For Journalism, in direct translation) isn’t a brand. It’s not even a company, technically. It’s a nonprofit project backed by a press-tech firm called I’Max. The initiative offers — for free — the full tech stack needed for a local news website to operate: hosting, cybersecurity, SEO, programmatic ads, pro emails, analytics, and human support. Its mission is clear: to fight disinformation and prevent the death of small-town journalism in Brazil.
They saw Igor’s story. They saw his crowdfunding campaign. They saw the passion. They reached out.
“They said, ‘We want you to be our ambassador.’ And I said, ‘I want to be yours.’”
Since then, Igor has been wearing the cause on the most sacred part of a surfboard — the nose — and learning what it really means. “Honestly, I used to be disconnected from the news. I’d often be the last to know what was going on,” he admits. “But now I see how dangerous disinformation is, especially in Brazil, with AI and memes and fake headlines. Without journalism, people go blind.”
That connection between solitude and purpose isn’t accidental.
“Igor is out there in the ocean, and we’re in a news desert,” says Fernanda Lara, CEO of I’Max and the mind behind MPJ. “Surfing is a solitary sport — and so is doing ethical, independent journalism in small towns in Brazil. Our idea was to connect those two battles: the surfer paddling into waves alone, and the journalist who keeps informing despite the tide pushing back.”
He speaks with a fire in his voice. “MPJ’s mission is to wake people up. To get them to choose one local, trustworthy news source and follow it daily. It’s not about politics. It’s about not being manipulated. It’s about knowing what’s real.”
Despite winning the Brazilian Pro title back in 2019 and ranking among the top seven surfers in South America last season, Igor was still an amateur athlete when he qualified for the 2025 Challenger Series.
MPJ is funding his entire campaign — including two late additions to the tour (Pipeline and Newcastle) that increased both pressure and travel costs. As we learned last year, that could be between $50,000 – $70,000 USD. “It’s the first time in my life I get to just train, sleep, eat, and focus on my heat,” he says. “They believe in me, and we’re dreaming together.”
For Igor, this partnership is about much more than stickers and prize money. “I don’t want pity. I never wanted a handout. I wanted someone to see my talent and believe in my potential. And they did.”
Brazil is home to 47 million people living along the coast, and 40% of its coastal towns are considered news deserts — places with no reliable local journalism at all. In these places, false narratives, political propaganda, and confusion thrive.
“I’m not an expert yet,” Igor admits. “But I’m learning. And if I can help even a few people care more about the truth, I’ll feel like I’m doing my part.”
Igor’s Challenger Series campaign hasn’t exploded yet — a 73rd in Newcastle, a 49th in Ballito — but it’s early and the belief is still there. From him. From his team. From a small but growing audience who sees a bigger meaning in what he’s carrying into the lineup.
There’s no telling whether Igor will climb into the Top 10 and reach the CT this year. But what he’s surfing for — and who he’s surfing with on the nose of his board — is already rewriting the script.
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