For a man that not only has shamed himself, but the whole island, he should not have any special requests or attention.
The Madeira Regional Directorate of the Journalists’ Union issued a statement this Saturday condemning the pressure exerted on three journalists during coverage of a public event held on Friday at Funchal City Hall.
The incident occurred during the presentation of the ‘Funchal City Council’s Book of Honor’, a ceremony to which “the media was invited”, according to the Union’s statement.
Professionals from JM, DIÁRIO and RTP-Madeira “were subject to pressure” from advisors at Funchal City Council “to restrict the performance of their duties”, the Union states.
The union structure states that journalists reported that Pedro Calado, the former mayor who resigned after being arrested on suspicion of corruption, spoke at an internal event before the public ceremony.
The Union alleges that the journalists in question were approached by advisors who accused them of invading a private session, “suggested that the aforementioned incident was not newsworthy, and attempted to give instructions on how they should have done their work.” The advisors even “invoked the Code of Ethics to question the journalists’ ethics.”
According to the statement, “phone calls were made to the editorial offices of both regional newspapers, in a clear attempt to limit freedom of the press.”
The Union emphasizes that “from the moment journalists are allowed to enter the building, everything they see (with the journalist’s eyes) is likely to be reported” and recalls that “journalists have a commitment to the public and not to their advisors.”