José Rodrigues dos Santos, journalist and writer
José Rodrigues dos Santos did not commit “no deontological irregularity in the interview” to PCP leader Paulo Raimundo, after which the journalist was widely criticized, but did not fulfill his duty to “clarify the electorate”, concludes the deontological council of the journalists’ union.
Arrived at the Deontological Council (CD) of the Journalists Union (SJ) “Five complaints” sObey the journalist and pivot of RTP, José Rodrigues dos Santos, to the PCP secretary-general, Paulo Raimundo, on March 24, 2025, during the “newscast” of RTP1.
After an investigation process, the CD concluded that “There was no deontological irregularity in the interview”. However, there are repairs for the work of RTP1 journalist.
Moreover, RTP1’s own information director, António José Teixeira, gave José Rodrigues dos Santos a “tug of ears” in the testimony he gave to the CD of the Journalists Union, recognizing that “It did not fulfill the objective set”as revealed the decision of the body published in SJ.
The five complaints complained about the fact that Just ask questions about Ukraine During 10 minutes interview.
And António José Teixeira admitted to the CD that the objective of the interview, like others carried out to party leaders in the antechamber of this May’s advance legislature, “was to be Thethically Comprehensive and not at risk of being confused with debates. ”
Therefore, “it was, and it is, desirable that other subjects had been addressedEven with a limited time, ”said the RTP1 information director, although he discarded that he was a“ dishonest exercise of manipulation ”by José Rodrigues dos Santos.
The SJ CD agrees with this idea and concluded, after its investigation, that “the fact that a single theme was approached did not contribute to the first objective of clarifying the electoratethis being the reason for all the complaints it received ”.
António José Teixeira also stated that the interview and complaints were analyzed internally by RTP1, namely by the viewer provider and the writing board.
Rodrigues dos Santos wanted to “clarify once and for all the position of the PCP”
In the explanations given to the CD, José Rodrigues dos Santos claimed that “he elected the Ukraine conflict as the main theme” taking into account his “impact” at the present, “the important decisions related to this issue to be made in the next legislature by the government and parliament that leave the legislative elections 2025, and. Persistent doubts about the position of the PCP about the subject.
The journalist also noticed that “before the interview begins”, informed Paulo Raimundo that “the theme would be Ukraine,” in order to “clarify once and for all the PCP’s position on this subject.”
Paulo Raimundo told the Deontological Council that “already sitting in the studio, moments before starting” the interview, the journalist “transmitted” that it would “focus on structuring, namely international issues”, noting that “themes or concrete issues” were agreed.
