Whether we like it or not, media coverage of protests and major events is often biased, incomplete, or strategically skewed. The recent protests in Spain serve as yet another example of how the truth can be filtered—and how dangerous that can be.
In the wake of the Catalan Referendum on October 1, journalists and staff members at Spain’s state media station, TVE Catalunya, publicly condemned the network’s coverage. Journalist Anna Grimau called it an “embarrassment” in an open letter posted on Twitter, accusing the station of failing to report the reality of what was happening in the streets.
She described how police physically assaulted civilians at polling stations—dragging them out and beating them—yet major Spanish news outlets failed to report it honestly, if at all. Even during live broadcasts, staff were reportedly pressured to avoid commenting on the police brutality or to downplay it altogether.
That’s disturbing. What’s worse? News outlets in other countries didn’t do much better. Sarcastically put—it’s not like the global press was rushing to uncover the truth either.
“Even during live coverage, they were pressured into not talking freely about the action of the police and to minimize these actions.”
— Anna Grimau
You can read the full article and her statement here:
Ethan Townzen 
Leave a comment