First, there came on 21st September that agreement adopted by te Board of RTVE (the State owned Spanish radio and television broadcast entity) allowing the members of the Board the access to iNews, the digital edition system used by the employees, while the journalists were still preparing the information to be broadcasted.
Just two days later the same Board revoked the agreement pushed by the protests of the journalists, their unions and some political parties, as this previous control reminded too much the once upon a time censorship system established by the General Franco regime before our current Spanish democratic political system.
The “we’ve just changed our minds” that the members of the Board blowed through their revoking document has made everybody feel somewhat more peaceful again. But just for a while, because the agreement adopted has left some unconfidence behind. But just for a while, because the agreement adopted has left some unconfidence behind.
The members of the Board assure that they didn’t want to use the censorship scissors on the contents and the freedom of speech of the journalists, but on the contrary they were just thinking of making for the Board members more easy to carry out their labour controlling functions, as they would have just entered into the iNews system to get informed about what they were working on the journalists.
“The will of the Board members” says the official communication after the revoking decision, “never has been to interfere with the work of the journalists, even less, jeopardize their professional independence, by which this Board has always bet”. Better if this is so. Because the suspicion is on the dish, although there are many other ways to use the scissors with much less noise, we all know.
On this affair and how serious it would have become it is almost everything said. I’m not going to repeat anything here, but I must say I rubricate and adhere to the complaints against the first decision of RTVE Board.
I just underscore here that I feel at least surprised, if not astonished before the lack of common sense and social sensitiveness shown by the majority of the RTVE Board members, as they obviously didn’t manage to foresee the fuss against their agreement establishing their right to access the iNews system. I can hardly believe how blind and insensitive they have been, even more when I consider they are the people who head such media as TVE and the national radio of Spain (Radio Nacional de España). Not just a little fuss but an actual riot was more than to be expected.
Perhaps one should remind the RTVE Board members that Caesar’s wife not only must be a virtuous woman but also behave in such way that she seems as virtuous as she is expected to be.
The unrest triggered by the Board’s agreement was terminated at almost no cost for its members. Just one resignation by the CCOO Union representative, Héctor Maravall. The rest of the Board members keep their armchairs. Perhaps because the difficult situation it is living the RTVE corporation would turn even worse if the heads of the State company were to leave their responsibilitiesall together and at the same time?. Might be. At least that was said to excuse they were no way leaving their the seats. But I think that the high salaries -€120,000 a year and some other benefits- earned by the Board members have something to do with the lack of resignations after the blunder.
The fact that nobody resigns in this country, whichever the mess up caused, emmerges itself crystal clear once more. It is said that in Spain resignations by power abuse are scarce but even more rare when the people involved is undertaking State responsibilities. What a shame, daddy!.
Image over the headline.- No digi-parrot. © Eastwind
