The president of the Portuguese Press Association, João Palmeiro, today said that it would best that the 1975 law for electoral coverage should be left to "die in peace" and that there should be no law specifically to restrict the press during election periods.
Under proposed law changes, journalists still will have to submit work schedules and applications to cover politicians and election events to a multi-party committee, a process which the association sees as outdated and unworkable in a free society where journalists should be free to cover what they want, when they want, not to be open to a fine of €50,000.
Palmeiro was addressing the Parliamentary Committee for Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, which met today to look at the principles governing media coverage of elections and national referenda, following a request by the Socialist Party.
Palmeiro commented that for him, the best thing is that there is no specific law for electoral coverage as the normal laws relating to the free press should be enough.
João Palmeiro considered that strong self-regulation by a Platform of Self Regulatory Ethics answers any political concerns as to press activity. There exists co-regulation between the Regulatory Authority for the Media (ERC) and the associations representing the press. Regulation also should cover digital media which has grown in spread and importance and will continue to do so.
As for the National Elections Commission, Palmeiro said that this body has no competence to asses complaints from political parties about coverage.
Comments
Any regular watcher of Portuguese TV will begin to spot the censorship and government regulators activities evident in everyday news programming. Particularly in what events the journalists can cover.
What information and opinions should not be given or must be taken out - such as when someone goes missing and a relative or neighbour bizarrely cannot identify them to us - the viewer. So we can help look for them in our flower beds and garden sheds.
Also - because of the quite idiotic risk of defamation and the notion that every oily wretch in Portuguese public life has 'honour' - don't expect any deep expose's in this election campaign.
Indicative of this being an intra-Mafiosi squabble is that no Portuguese political party - even though annually working through Brussels funded multi-million euro budgets - has filed accounts for years !