Saúl Ortiz denounces journalist Inés Ballester for workplace harassment

Complicated days are coming in the Madrid public entity. For months now, the Telemadrid sets have been hosting a terrible confrontation between two prominent figures that has ended in the worst way: with a dismissal and a complaint. We talk about the well-known presenter Inés Ballester and the journalist Saul Ortizformer program director Together and… until last Friday, when he was informed of his departure from the team due to, presumably, poor audience results. However, the decision of the production company La Cometa TV hides a much more complex and unpleasant situation: as you have been able to know InformaliaOrtiz accuses Ballester of workplace harassment with shouting, insults and even attempted assault.

The lawsuit, which is being drafted and will be filed in the coming days, includes a situation that dates back to last May, when Saúl Ortiz and Inés Ballester began working together on the afternoon program. The presenter disagreed about the topics that the director chose to discuss in the program (they did not seem important or interesting to her) and expressed her disapproval with continuous disrespect that went ‘in crescendo’ as the weeks went by. “You’re an asshole”, “You’re good for nothing”, “You’re a shitty director” or “You’re a director? What you are is a self-conscious person” are some of the expressions that Inés allegedly used to address Saúl. Insults and humiliations that culminated in a more serious confrontation in which, as we are told, the presenter, very nervous, tried to attack her partner and had to be stopped by a person present in the room.

The situation was communicated by Saúl Ortiz to the different managers, who made the decision to separate them at work. A decision that did not satisfy the director. After complaining again, he found himself, last Friday, with a dismissal letter due to a drop in audiences. Close sources assure us that neither the production company nor the network activated any type of protocol for alleged workplace harassment, nor an investigation to clarify what happened and determine responsibilities.

It’s not the first time

As we said, the complaint is underway and will be filed in a few days. Saúl Ortiz accuses Inés Ballester of harassment in the work environment and will present, among other evidence, a recorded conversation in which the presenter shouted insults at him and which several people could hear.

They also assure us that this is not the first time this has happened: up to four other directors of the program It’s happeningfrom Telemadrid, had confrontations with the presenter along the same lines, as well as various co-presenters and collaborators of their spaces, such as Nacho Abad, Teresa Bueyes or José Luis Vidal.