Portugal’s President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has criticised US President Donald Trump for new White House rules on the media and warns of a “slide from democracy to dictatorship.”
The President of the Republic was speaking at Casa da Imprensa, in Lisbon, at the opening session of a debate on the 1975 Press Law, published 50 years ago, which enshrined the prohibition of any form of censorship.
“Not knowing what dictatorship is, not understanding the risk of dictatorship, and not understanding the risk of sliding from democracy to dictatorship I am facing something new. For today, I am faced with the truth that one of the strongest democracies is sliding into a dictatorship.
Referring to Donald Trump, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa added: “When the President of the oldest and most reputed democracies has just made it known today which journalists are authorised to ask him questions at press conferences, at meetings, at the centre of power, literally everything!”
The head of state criticized the White House’s new rules for the media, commenting that “all that is truly missing is for the chief executive of this country to ask the questions” himself, and then “give the answers he wants to give.”
According to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, “from this moment on, no one, truly respecting ethical codes, feels good participating in a press conference, in a meeting with those responsible for the power of a democracy, knowing that only he, and not the others who are in the room, are authorised to ask questions.”
“Journalists become invisible. They may be there, in body but not in the true spirit of journalism.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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