RTP. Parliament hears from António José Teixeira after resignation

Journalist António José Teixeira will be heard in parliament this Wednesday, following a request from the Socialist Party, after being dismissed from his position as director of information for the RTP Board of Directors.

The management of RTP television was dismissed on June 24 by the Board of Directors, which appointed journalist Vítor Gonçalves as the new director of information for the public television station.

In the request, the PS states that despite the restructuring of RTP having been included in the Action Plan for Social Communication and in the Strategic Plan 2024-2026, “it is with surprise” that the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party “received the announcement of the change in the information management of RTP”.

This is because “in addition to the questions raised by the Journalists' Union and the explanations that have since been made public, this management decision (…) coincides with the beginning of a new legislature and the start of a new political cycle, challenging us on the meaning that this coincidence of calendars has from the point of view of the independence of a central public service for maintaining democracy”, states the PS in the request, which urgently requested the hearing of the RTP administration and the journalist António José Teixeira.

On July 1, the president of RTP stated that the decision to dismiss the television news director at the public station is the exclusive responsibility of the Board of Directors and ruled out any political interference.

The resignation of the information director “does not have to be politically interpreted,” said Nicolau Santos, who was speaking on the “Media Nation Debate” panel at the 34th APDC congress.

“It is the exclusive responsibility of the RTP Board of Directors and has no political interference,” the manager reinforced.

“Companies have cycles” and “António José Teixeira and his team did a fantastic job,” he emphasized at the time, adding that a new phase had now been entered.

"It's not just the television director who's leaving, it wasn't just the television news director who was targeted. I hope to count on António José Teixeira at RTP," he said, noting that the journalist's professional career "has gone through cycles and will certainly face new challenges."

Parliament also approved the hearing of RTP's Board of Directors on the dismissal and restructuring of the company.

This Wednesday, António José Teixeira will be heard by members of the parliamentary committee for Culture, Communication, Youth and Sport.

The new organization of RTP reduces the number of directors to 23, compared to the previous 30 directors and deputy directors.