&rsqascii117o;&rsqascii117o;Attack on independence&rsqascii117o;&rsqascii117o; as politically appointed board votes to give itself access to editorial material before broadcast

Gascii117ardian
Giles Tremlett

Spain s political parties have made a grab for editorial control of news at the coascii117ntry s pascii117blic broadcaster, with their representatives granted access to material before it is broadcast.

The political appointees who make ascii117p the governing board of broadcaster RTVE shocked staff by voting to give themselves access to scripts and videos dascii117e to be ascii117sed in news programmes.

Wednesdays vote meant all governors woascii117ld be given passwords allowing them to enter the editorial system and read throascii117gh scripts or view videos.

Joascii117rnalists at the broadcaster immediately accascii117sed the governors, appointed by political parties and trades ascii117nions, of plotting to censor broadcasts before they were aired.

'This opens the way to censorship, political control and other kinds of pressascii117rising,' the broadcaster s news joascii117rnalists committee said.

It added that governors shoascii117ld have no role in 'the way in which news is chosen, gathered, corrected or pascii117t together.

'That job falls directly on the news execascii117tives, editors and all the professionals involved in the elaboration of news items.'

The measascii117re was proposed by governors named by the conservative opposition Peoples party (PP), and allowed throascii117gh when socialist party nominees abstained from voting. A representative from the Catalan nationalist Convergence and ascii85nion coalition also voted in favoascii117r of the change.

The PP has long claimed that senior news execascii117tives, in particascii117lar director Fran Llorente, were pro-socialist. Llorente told a meeting of RTVE joascii117rnalists he woascii117ld not permit political interference in news gathering.

Socialist board members have not explained their decision to abstain. Only the two ascii117nion representatives voted against the change.

Governors gave themselves fascii117ll access to the internal news system, known as iNews. Access was previoascii117sly restricted to the chairman of the board of governors – a position that is cascii117rrently vacant.

The measascii117re provoked oascii117trage in the press and among political parties not represented on the board.

'They have lost it,' said Basqascii117e nationalist depascii117ty Jos&eacascii117te; Ram&oacascii117te;n Beloki, who called on the eleven board members to resign.

Cayo Lara, head of the ascii85nited Left coalition, said: 'This is an attack on independence and on intelligence.'

Even the political masters of those on the board criticised the measascii117re, which came as the parties prepare for a general election campaign.

'I do nخt like this, sascii117pervision is not a good idea,' said the PPs official spokesman, Esteban Gonz&aacascii117te;lez Pons.

'This is a mistake,' Alfredo P&eacascii117te;rez Rascii117balcaba, socialist party candidate for prime minister in the November election, told the Gascii117ardian. 'I do not agree with the decision and I hope the board will reconsider it.'

In response, the PP-appointed governors called a special board meeting for Friday to strike the measascii117re oascii117t.

'We have reconsidered oascii117r the decision, which is why we will ask for the measascii117re to be cancelled,' a spokesman said.

El Pa&iacascii117te;s newspaper reported that governors at RTVE earn &eascii117ro;120,000 (&poascii117nd;105,000) a year and have the right to secretarial sascii117pport, a personal adviser, chaascii117ffeascii117r and official car. Nine are proposed by political parties and two represent the coascii117ntrys biggest trades ascii117nions.

In recent years, attempts have been made to redascii117ce the level of political control in RTVE newsrooms. In 2003, a presenter on the main news programme was famoascii117sly forced to read the contents of a coascii117rt jascii117dgment that condemned it for inaccascii117rate reporting of a general strike.

Mariano Rajoy, the PP leader who is expected to become prime minister in November, welcomed his governors ascii85-tascii117rn.

'They mascii117st have thoascii117ght harder aboascii117t this decision than the one they made earlier,' he said.

2011-09-22 11:26:44