Spanish parliament is considering a press access shake-up in the middle of chaos

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5 Min Read

The Spanish Parliament is considering punishing people who disrupt press conferences a week after journalists staged a strike from a disrupted press conference after far-right activists disrupt the session.

Political activist and online influencer Bertrand Ngong, who owned the voice of a reporter trying to ask questions last Tuesday, saying, “I will not be silent,” refused to give up the floor at a press conference held by Veronica Barbero, who said, “I will not be silent.”

The actions of Ndongo, a certified press agency working at Periodista Digital Outlet, led to journalists going outside in protest.

In response to the discrepancy, the Spanish Association of Parliamentary Journalists said it “strongly condemns the actions of some individuals recognized by the parliament, which continue to disrupt or obstruct the normal operation of press conferences, and distorts the right to collect and transmit true information.”

On Tuesday, the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament discussed proposals to reform the press certification process after repeatedly filed complaints from journalists who claimed their ability to work and were harassed.

Congressional debates on reform heated up shortly after last week’s scene, but the issue has been going on for years and drafts have been going on for months. In February, around 80 journalists protested outside Congress against “unacceptable behaviour” by people recognized as media representatives, including harassment.

Journalists taking part in the February protest said they were threatened by Doxxing.

“Council journalists are obligated to ensure that citizens’ rights to information are properly supported by applying profession ethical principles,” the Congressional Journalists Association said in a statement.

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“Recently, journalists working in Congress have suffered from shaming, abuse and accusations from certified individuals working with us, ignoring the basic rules of social coexistence.

He added that confusion by those who ignore these rules “will have a direct and negative effect on citizens’ constitutional rights to constitutional information.”

“Pseudo-Media”

In March, Congress’ Vice President of Socialism, Alfonso Rodriguez Gomez de Celis, called on representatives to help efforts to curb the actions of those accused of posing as media experts, saying “the spreader of hoax and hatred is eroding our democracy through Pew Media.”

The reforms considered this week would impose sanctions on those who disregard the parliamentary process, according to the draft document released Tuesday.

These take on other reasons, ranging from a temporary 10-day suspension of eligibility for minor violations to a five-year parliamentary pass that “issues humiliation, trusts others, or violates the dignity of others.”

Supported by a variety of political parties, including the central left PSOE, left wing Sumar and the Catalan nationalist party Junts, the law lacked support for the far-right VOX party and the central right PP that would keep it.

Vox spokesman Pepa Millán claimed that the ruling PSOE party “sees journalist (Pedro) Sánchez as hostile” and “want to purge.”

PSOE spokesman Patxi López said the reform was supported by a society representing journalists “whose works are seriously confused in the exercise of their rights to information by individuals who are dedicated to threatening, disrespecting and systematically obstructing the work of journalism.”

This move comes at a moment of crisis in the vast strip of traditional media around the world, with younger generations increasingly getting news from social media.

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According to the latest European Parliament Youth Survey, 10 (42%) Europeans, between the ages of 16 and 30, reported using social media as the primary source of news on political and social issues.

This shift has alarm bells on the risk of exposure to both misinformation and misinformation, particularly as platforms like X, Facebook and Instagram have downgraded their fact-checking policies.

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