The king defends the « free and independent » journalism in times of extreme speeches | Spain
This year the 130th anniversary of the Madrid Press Association (APM). The kings have come to the awards ceremony that has been held this Tuesday afternoon at the Cibeles Palace of the capital, headquarters of the City Council, and Felipe VI He has made a strong defense of the profession of journalism: « In times of social networks, of the incursion of artificial intelligence, in times of extreme speeches and complex environments, journalism, you – journalists – emerge as essential figures for our coexistence. »
This year, the APM has decided to grant the Fernando Onega Honor Award; The award to the young journalist –gailard who also won the queen 24 years ago, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano -, to Irene Dorta (The independent); to the local information journalist, Ana del Barrio (The world); and the journalist of the year, Vicente Valles (Antena 3).
After the collection of the awards, to which the Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños and the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, Onega made a speech with affectionate words, especially for the rest of the winners.
But what has caught the attention of his speech has been his evening criticism of TVE. « The press is not the fourth power, the fourth power is the gossip. The gossip as a guide of public opinion. Even Spanish Television considers it a state of state, » said veteran journalist in reference to the new public television programming. In a calm speech, but with alarmist dyes for the future of the trade, Onega has said that society is going from being an information society to the disinformation society. « Fear of social networks because they are supplanting the media, » he warned.
In this same direction, the King’s words have gone, who thanked that journalists, « from responsibility and rigor », seek « free and independent » journalism so that citizens have the keys that allow us to understand the world, which is a « strange world. »
Wages
The president of the APM, María Rey, has also warned of the existence of too many means and social networks that facilitate the dissemination of false news and bulos and that results in a « loss of credibility » which in turn derives in a « crisis of confidence in democracy. »
Felipe VI, who has praised Onega from the beginning, has also referred to the remuneration of journalists and the work that the APM does so that the rights and “efforts” of those who exercise the profession are guaranteed. María Rey has also criticized the « scarce sources of financing » of the trade, which translate into low wages, has lamented.
