ERC regulatory action against TVI broadcasting ethics

The Portuguese Media Regulatory Authority (ERC) has condemned the television station TVI for violating broadcasting ethics during an April program regarding a sexual assault case involving a 16-year-old girl in Loures.

The regulator determined that comments made during the program, specifically by presenter Cristina Ferreira on ‘Dois às 10’, attenuated the gravity of the assault and the violence perpetrated. The ERC concluded that the framing of the topic questioned the victim’s lack of consent and transferred responsibility to her, creating a “false cause-and-effect relationship regarding sexual violence.”

Furthermore, the ERC noted that such remarks blur the distinction between sexual relations and abuse, which could lead to the revictimization of survivors and negatively influence how children and adolescents perceive gender-based violence. The controversy centers on whether these broadcasts violated Article 27 of the Television Law, which prohibits content that could seriously harm the personality formation, image, or privacy of minors.