News anchor Paola Beringhs publicly resigned after accusing TV Brasil Central of political censorship.
(ABRAJI/IFEX) – “I can lose my job, but I keep my dignity”. With these words, Paulo Beringhs ended his programme on 20 October 2010. Minutes before that, he explained to the viewers that journalism on TV Brasil Central was no longer independent.
The channel is supported by the state of Goiás and, according to the journalist, is used for political campaigns. Beringhs explained that he planned to interview the two candidates running for governor of Goiás, Marconi Perillo (Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB) and Iris Rezende (Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro, PMDB).
Rezende, who has the support of the current state governor and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, did not show up on the day he was scheduled to appear on the show.
During the live broadcast of his final programme, Beringhs explained that as a result the directors of the public television channel also refused to allow Perillo, the opposition candidate, from participating in the show. Perillo was scheduled to appear the day after Rezende.
By 21 October, the word “Beringhs” was already a Twitter global trend topic. Many users of the social network claimed, however, that the journalist was affiliated with the PSDB opposition party. Beringhs told journalists interested in his story that he had abandoned the party three years ago.
Click here to see the Youtube video of Paulo Beringhs’s resignation
