Spanish PM proposes media transparency law as right-wing decry censorship

4 months ago 16

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE/S&D) on Wednesday proposed a “democratic regeneration” plan that he said would improve media transparency and shed more light on media ownership and funding.

But the conservative right-wing opposition of the centre-right Partido Popular (PP/EPP) has condemned Sánchez’s plans, accusing the Spanish prime minister of trying to censor and control the press, Euractiv’s partner EFE reported.

Sánchez told the parliament on Wednesday that the Action Plan for Democracy would be negotiated with all parliamentary groups and discussed with representatives of the media.

He added that it would ensure more media independence, promoting a wider variety of information sources and protecting Spanish democracy.

“Citizens must know the sources of media financing, the names of their shareholders and audience figures in an honest way to avoid fraud in advertising investment,” said Sánchez, who governs in a minority coalition with the left-wing Sumar alliance.

The plan also includes measures that affect the government, parliamentarians and the electoral system.

Sánchez said the proposed legislation was in line with media freedom regulations approved by and supported by all parties in the European Parliament, except for the far-right.

He also called for placing limits on public financing of the press, to avoid media which have “more public financiers than readers” and to stop parties from influencing editorial policies with tax money.

Sánchez advocated putting an end to media pressures from parties and companies and proposed legislative changes to reinforce individuals’ rights to “honour” and rectification.

The media must be free, with their own editorial independence, but citizens can also defend themselves if they are insulted or defamed, he argued.

In April, Sánchez suspended his duties to “stop and reflect” for five days because of what he called a “smear campaign” by the country’s right wing, including the PP, the main opposition force in parliament, and the far-right VOX, the third force in the Chamber, against his wife, Begoña Gomez, who is currently under investigation for alleged corruption.

PP accuses Sánchez of media “censorship”

The case was brought by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a self-styled trade union with ties to the Spanish far-right.

Responding to Sánchez’s plans, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused him of threatening to censor the media and control press coverage of the ongoing investigations into alleged corruption involving his wife and his brother, David Sánchez.

“This could end up as the biggest attack on freedom of information in Spanish democracy,” the opposition leader said of Sánchez’s plan.

Meanwhile, VOX leader Santiago Abascal said that Sánchez is not concerned about the health of Spain’s democracy but about controlling the media and promoting “ideological persecution”.

The prime minister, however, insisted that the government intends to crack down on reporting of falsehoods, adding that the proposed measure would target those who “have turned lies into a profitable business”

(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)