Journalists' Union Accuses Coimbra Mayor of Grave Press Freedom Violation After Lusa Reporter Targeted

The Sindicato dos Jornalistas Has Demanded the Mayor Retract Accusations It Calls Unfounded and Defamatory — the Incident Raises Questions About the Relationship Between Local Political Power and the Press

Portugal s journalists union has accused the mayor of Coimbra, Ana Abrunhosa, of committing a serious violation of press freedom after she publicly attacked a Lusa news agency reporter during a municipal executive meeting and attempted to have him removed from covering the city s local government.

The dispute erupted during a public session of Coimbra s camara municipal on Friday 11 April, when Abrunhosa accused Lusa journalist Joao Gaspar of failing to tell the truth and committing serious and systematic ethical violations in his reporting on the Casa do Cinema project. The mayor publicly stated that she had lost confidence in the journalist.

What the Union Says Happened

The Sindicato dos Jornalistas (SJ), in a statement issued on Saturday 12 April, described a pattern of actions that went beyond a single public exchange. According to the union, the mayor:

• Attempted to have Gaspar removed from covering Coimbra s municipal affairs
• Pressured the Lusa news agency directly to reassign the journalist
• Restricted his access to public meetings and official information sources
• Deliberately excluded him from the municipality s institutional contact lists

The union described the conduct as a clear attempt at public discrediting of a journalist in the exercise of his functions, seeking to limit democratic scrutiny of local political power. It called the incident a serious precedent and a worrying sign of degradation in the relationship between political power and social communication that undermines fundamental pillars of democracy.

Journalists do not need the confidence of the president of the Camara de Coimbra or any other municipal official to do their work, the union stated.

Lusa Rejects the Accusations

Lusa s Information Directorate sent a formal letter to Abrunhosa on Friday, rejecting her accusations as unfounded, baseless, and defamatory. The agency reaffirmed its full confidence in Joao Gaspar, describing his track record at Lusa as irreproachable.

As of Saturday evening, neither Ana Abrunhosa nor the Coimbra municipality had issued a public response to the union s statement or Lusa s letter.

Legal Framework

Freedom of the press is enshrined in Article 38 of the Portuguese Constitution, which guarantees the right to inform and be informed without impediment or discrimination. The Journalists Statute (Estatuto do Jornalista) further protects the right of journalists to access information sources and attend public events without interference from public officials.

Attempts by public officeholders to influence editorial decisions or restrict a journalist s assignment are considered among the most direct threats to press independence under Portuguese and European press freedom standards.

Broader Context

Portugal has traditionally ranked highly in global press freedom indices — the country placed 7th in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. However, press freedom advocates have warned that incidents involving local government officials and journalists are becoming more frequent across Europe, particularly in the context of municipal politics where media scrutiny is often thinner.

Ana Abrunhosa, a former Minister for Territorial Cohesion in the government of Antonio Costa, was elected president of the Coimbra Camara Municipal in 2025. She had previously faced scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest related to EU funds during her time in government, though she was cleared by the Ministerio Publico.

Why It Matters

For Portugal s expatriate and international community, the incident is a reminder that press freedom — while robust at the national level — can face challenges at the local government level. Independent reporting by agencies like Lusa is often the only source of regular scrutiny of Portugal s 308 municipalities, many of which receive limited coverage from national media.

The Sindicato dos Jornalistas has not indicated whether it intends to pursue formal legal action, but its public statement sets a clear marker that the profession will not accept interference from elected officials.