The Regulatory Authority for the Media (ERC) has ruled that the restructuring of the Portuguese news agency Lusа does not comply with the regulatory framework applicable to public media, warning that the identified failures will have serious consequences for the agency's credibility and external perception of its independence from political power. The regulator's decision stems from a complaint filed on April 13 by the Journalists' Union, which challenged the statutory review promoted by the Government as the sole State shareholder.
The centre of the regulatory censure concerns the process for appointing the management team and the postponement of the entry into force of preventive safeguards. The Government had created a Consultative Council as a protection mechanism against the governmentalisation of the agency, but the ERC found that the shareholder resolution postponed the binding application of its opinion only for the appointment of the 2030-2033 administration. Thus, the three current executive administrators were appointed for the 2026-2029 term on the eve of the consultative opinion becoming mandatory, creating an immediate situation of institutional lack of protection.
On the legal front, the regulator argues that the protection of informational independence from the Government constitutes a reserve of law for the Assembly of the Republic, and state deliberation is not an appropriate instrument for such regulation. The ERC also identifies weakness in parliamentary oversight, considering that the hearing of the chief editorial officer before a parliamentary committee lacks effective normative force.
In addition to the intervention before the regulator, the Journalists' Union formally activated the Ombudsman, invoking the violation of constitutional provisions on freedom of information. The union had warned that the new model, with all three administrators appointed directly by the Government, did not guarantee transparent selection criteria nor ensure the necessary public scrutiny.
