ERC faces controversy over criticism of Jose Rodrigues dos Santos in interview with Marta Temido

This is the first major dispute involving the ERC (Social Communications Regulatory Authority) since the current members of the Regulatory Council took office on 7 November 2023.

The interview in question was that of José Rodrigues dos Santos on 5 June on RTP 1 with Marta Temido (then head of the PS list in the European Parliament), which, according to the regulator, “could harm the rights of viewers to be informed” (three complaints were received).

During the August 7 discussion, the organization accused the journalist of deviating “from the protocol of facts and the rules of conducting a journalistic interview” and of not providing “space for the interviewee to express her point of view.”

After Rodrigues dos Santos himself challenged this discussion, the Liberal Initiative (IL) now wants to summon the ERC to parliament to provide an explanation.

In a request for a hearing filed on Tuesday, the party led by Rui Rocha asks for clarification on whether the discussion of the interview interfered with freedom of journalism and even says that “this conflict is of the utmost importance for the Assembly of the Republic.”

Let us recall that José Rodrigues dos Santos has already expressed his outrage at the content of the ERC discussion.

In the Observatory, the journalist accused the regulator of committing “an attack on journalistic freedom in a democracy.” He also explained that the way he conducted the interview was because Temido had denied “factually true information” or made “factually false statements.”