After the Council of Ministers this Tuesday, the leaders Pilar Alegría, Félix Bolaños, Ana Redondo and Ernest Urtasun presented their plan against the media, against which the President of the Government himself has been warning since the investigations into his wife were revealed in April. The measures that the Executive will take to control the press were reported by the Minister of Culture, and it seems that the aim is to control information.
A list of media
This register will be prepared by the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC), as announced yesterday by Minister Urtasun. The objective is to detail both the ownership of each journalistic company and the institutional advertising it receives.
Limitation of institutional advertising
This has been one of the battle horses since Sánchez launched the war against what he considers “pseudomedia”. What was announced yesterday, always depending on the support given to all the measures by the parliamentary partners, is that the existing law on institutional advertising will be reformed and that the regional administrations will be obliged to detail each year how they distribute it.
Amendment of crimes against honor
The legislation that protects the right to rectification in the event of lies expressed in the media will also be reformed. Both pieces of legislation date back to the 1980s and, since then, Minister Bolaños stressed yesterday, the “media ecosystem” has undergone a significant transformation.
Audience measurement audit
It is not clear how, although it is planned to supervise and precisely control the distribution of institutional advertising, which will however be authorized and encouraged in the case of media published in co-official languages, such as many pro-independence digital media in Catalonia. Neither Bolaños nor Urtasun have been able to answer how this audience measurement will be done.
Decriminalize insults to the Crown
Despite Bolaños’ ambiguous response on the matter, Sumar’s sources indicate that this is what the agreement provides. And it will be done through a reform of the Penal Code to decriminalize the crimes of insults against institutions, including the Crown.
Mandatory State of the Nation Debate
It will have to be celebrated every year as long as the reform of the rules of the Congress of Deputies proposed yesterday by the government continues. Sánchez will no longer be able to steal this debate from the Cortes, as he did in 2021.
Sanctions for parties that fail to present their accounts
This is what the government wants, although there is no greater specificity either. A sanction that will be extended to deputies and senators who do not properly comply with their declaration of assets and activities. Bolaños did not specifically cite Vox, but it was not difficult to guess that he was referring to Abascal’s men when he accused them of not complying with this requirement.
Compulsory election debates
This should be done through a reform of the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime (Loreg), where the obligation for surveys to include their “microdata” will also be introduced. A candidate could not avoid a debate.
Regulating the figure of the presidential spouse
Nothing was said yesterday about this and government sources admit that it was not even discussed when the measures were negotiated. No regulation will prevent the husband of a future president from receiving businessmen in Moncloa or signing letters in their favor.
