During a press conference following the Cabinet meeting, António Leitão Amaro addressed questions about plans to create a new entity aimed at strengthening the coordination of institutional communication among Ministries and enhancing social media presence, following a model similar to that of the European Commission.
This new entity, officially titled Deputy General Secretariat for Institutional Communication, will be led by Daniel do Rosário, a former journalist and spokesperson for the European Commission in Portugal.
“I believe the aim is for our government communication standards — like action, production, decision, and execution of public policies — to be more demanding, professional, competent, and align with the best cases in the democratic, free, and plural Europe,” began the Minister for the Presidency, who oversees social communication.
Leitão Amaro argued that it is preferable for the government to have support structures with technical and professional means, rather than spending millions on communication agencies or hiring for communication assistance.
The minister stated that this deputy general secretariat, planned since the creation of the government’s general secretariat, comprises “excellent professionals.” Initially appointed on a temporary basis, these positions are now subject to ongoing competitions at Cresap (Public Administration Recruitment and Selection Commission).
“This will allow the country’s government, now and in the future, from any parties, to be better supported professionally. This means valuing public resources and the government’s ability to act with strict professionalism, independence, and pluralism that the country demands,” he asserted.
Leitão Amaro was also questioned about comments from the PSD parliamentary leader, Hugo Soares, who emphasized in an interview with RTP Notícias the need for increased critical thinking and scrutiny of emerging news.
“Because many of them are absolutely false. Many of the news published in several newspapers sold daily to the Portuguese are false,” Hugo Soares stated in a Wednesday night interview.
Asked if he agreed with these statements, Leitão Amaro concurred that “all forms of power in a democratic, free, and pluralistic society should be subject to scrutiny.”
“When errors, abuses, or failures occur, such scrutiny should be strengthened. Therefore, the notion that if there are false news and wherever they exist, scrutiny should be deeper, seems to me a notion that I believe we should all endorse,” he stated.
The minister emphasized that this task should be completely independent of the government’s action, reminding that it is the responsibility of the existing independent regulatory entity, ERC.
“If we act as if it does not matter whether news is true or false, and there’s no boundary between disinformation and professional information, or quality information and rumors, we contribute to discrediting democratic debate,” he said, expressing hope that “everyone in society” can support the formulation made by the PSD parliamentary leader.
