Lisbon, Dec. 22, 2025 (Lusa) - The Editorial Board of Portuguese state broadcaster, RTP, has considered the statements made by the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, to be serious and unjustified. He accused the public broadcaster of taking his statements about university residences out of context.
At a ceremony in Lisbon last week, the Minister of Education argued that state university residences should have students from various social strata, otherwise, by giving priority to scholarship holders, they will deteriorate more quickly.
Later, in statements to the RTP-News programme, the minister considered that his words had been taken out of context: "What I said was that when I have a public service that is only used by people who have no voice, who are on lower incomes, for management reasons, the service deteriorates," said Fernando Alexandre.
In an interview with the digital newspaper ECO published on Friday, Fernando Alexandre said that RTP was present throughout the session, considering that the choice of the excerpt that was broadcast was not accidental.
"Management has to investigate why the journalist chose that excerpt. Those who were at the session did not get the impression that RTP conveyed. I gave a long speech and put what I was saying into context," he pointed out in the interview.
The RTP Editorial Board (CR-TV) stressed on Monday that Fernando Alexandre's interview with ECO "contains statements that seriously and unjustifiably call into question the good name, professionalism, integrity and ethics" of the editorial team.
"The references to alleged “hidden agendas” and “incompetence” are not mere criticism: they are accusations that directly undermine the credibility of RTP's information and its professionals," reads a statement sent to Lusa.
For CR-TV, the education minister's statements should not go "unanswered" and it urged the Information Department to take a "firm public stance, repudiating the insinuations and reaffirming the editorial independence, rigour and ethics" of journalistic work.
It also argued that the Information Department should "clarify the editorial criteria that underpinned the piece in question, ensuring transparency in the face of public opinion" and "reinforce its commitment to public service, remembering that RTP does not serve agendas, but rather citizens, with verified, pluralistic and responsible information".
The CR-TV also stressed that the Board of Directors has a "duty to defend the good name of RTP and its professionals, ensuring that these accusations do not undermine confidence in journalism" as it is practised.
"This is a time for unity and firmness. Our history and our mission require us to respond with clarity and dignity," the statement added.
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