The Regulatory Entity for Social Communication (ERC) recommended this Friday, November 13, the extension of the agreement between television operators to hold the presidential debates, following the complaint filed by Medialivre, owner of Correio da Manhã.
The deliberation by the ERC Regulatory Council takes place just a few days before the presidential debates begin and following “the assessment of the complaint filed by Medialivre, SA, owner of the CMTV and News Now program services, against RTP, SIC and TVI”.
The regulatory entity “understands that this expansion will contribute to strengthening pluralism, diversity and citizens’ right to information during the electoral period”.
Medialivre alleged in its complaint that, in the agreement signed between RTP, SIC and TVI, to organize a set of debates between in-person candidates, there is a violation of the duties of pluralism, the right to information and equal treatment between operators.
The ERC Regulatory Council considered that “the joint holding of electoral debates can constitute a valid solution to ensure pluralism and informational diversity during electoral periods”. However, he highlighted that such articulation must be guided by a logic of complementarity and expansion of the media space, with the inclusion of relevant operators in the television ecosystem who are willing to be part of the organization of debates being desirable.