Díli, 12 May 2026 – The Provedor for Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ), Virgílio da Silva Guterres “Lamukan”, has called on Timor-Leste’s media to pursue investigative journalism, and strictly follow the Journalistic Code of Ethics, arguing that human rights journalism operates on a different logic than democracy itself.
Speaking as a panelist at the Dili Dialogue Forum, the Ombudsman criticized a troubling trend he has observed in Timor-Leste’s media landscape.
“What happens now is one side is covered in today’s news, and the other side appears in tomorrow’s news. Or one side is covered by one station, and the other side is at the other station,” he said. “Good journalism does not take sides before it has the facts. Cover both sides. Verify before you publish.”
He warned that this fragmented approach to reporting undermines the public’s right to the full truth and fails the principles of ethical journalism. He urged the media to move beyond surface reporting and invest in investigative journalism that uncovers systemic patterns of abuse. He also reminded journalists of their ethical duty to cover both sides of any story within the same report, and to respect the Journalistic Code of Ethics at all times.
“Good journalism does not take sides before it has the facts. Cover both sides. Verify before you publish. Respect the Code of Ethics – not because it is convenient, but because it protects the truth,” he said.
The Ombudsman emphasized that while democracy is governed by majority rule, human rights are fundamentally different.
“In human rights, one person matters. One single complaint matters,” Guterres said. “Journalists must understand this. You do not ignore a violation just because only one victim speaks. That one person has dignity, and that dignity is not subject to a vote.”
The Provedor also directed a sharp message to political leaders, warning them to respect press freedom and accept criticism as an unavoidable part of public office.
“If you do not want to be written about, if you do not want to be criticized, then stay home,” Guterres stated bluntly. “Your political position requires you to be criticized. That is not an attack – that is accountability.”
He added that politicians who wish to avoid negative coverage have only one honorable option: to do their jobs properly and fulfill the promises they made during their campaigns.
“If you do not want to be criticized, then do your job properly. Deliver what you promised. That is the only defense a public official has against the press – competence and integrity,” he said.
Guterres reiterated that journalists cannot protect human rights without first understanding the Constitution. A journalist who does not know fundamental rights, he argued, will see injustice and not recognize it. He drew a sharp distinction between having press freedom and having a truly free press, noting that a press which repeats only official statements or avoids difficult questions is not genuinely free.
This post is also available in: Tetun