Madrid censors freedom of speech to hide health crisis
Madrid denies via Twitter that it applies prior censorship or prevents officials from speaking to the press without first obtaining their approval
This week, the newspaper El País of Spain confirmed that the Community of Madrid censors health personnel, teachers and directors of public centers. In the midst of the new coronavirus pandemic, they are prohibited from declaring to the media without prior permission.
The regional government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso sent an internal statement to health personnel. There, they are urged to “never act on their own” and first obtain authorization when they have an interview or a news report request.
The warning comes because health personnel have reported irregularities within the health system in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, the Ayuso Government is now in charge of appointing which professionals “can represent the institution in the best manner”.
In the case of the teachers’ union, the Madrid government “uses another tactic: attention calls against those who have spoken before the press without their consent”.
“The press officer of the Ministry of Education urged this newspaper, via WhatsApp, to ask the administration before speaking with a director”, reported El País.
And the message adds: “We beg you to use the usual channels, which you already know”. In addition, they reproached the attempt to speak to a director without going through the bureaucracy.
The censorship protocol
The censorship protocol used by Madrid was created in 2003. However, today it will be applied after the statements of a doctor from the Fuenlabrada Hospital to Cadena Ser.
“More often, the staff of the Madrid health system encounter obstacles when speaking to the media. In some cases, even with more or less serious warnings from the management”, explains El País.
The newspaper adds that the intention of this regulation, never updated since its approval, is to promote “a positive image” and cushion “any negative impact”.
In the statement, Madrid requests follow-up to the norm, to know the “treatment given to the information” and its “scope” in public opinion. Now, all the procedures are carried out by the Communication Manager, who will be in charge of contacting the professionals authorized to declare.
In addition, the censorship teams will be the ones who choose “the right time and place” to conduct the interview. But, if there is no agreement, “the opinion of the health institution will prevail so as not to harm the normal functioning of the center”.
In these cases, the journalist will always be informed of the reason why the meeting cannot be held. In addition, additional information should be provided “when deemed necessary”.
Free Press?
Additionally, when the journalist does not follow the “proper channel” and tries to contact the professional directly, he or she must “redirect” him to the Cabinet to manage the interview. It will even be obliged to do so “as soon as possible (…) in order to guide and adapt the informative activity”.
In the case of a purely technical interview or news report, its ‘convenience or not’ will be determined, together with the center’s management and health personnel. If the information requested exceeds the scope of the institution, the decision will be made by the management, with the support of the communication manager. Then, the latter will send it to the Madrid Health Institute and, if appropriate, to the Ministry of Health itself and the Directorate General for the Media”, explains El País.
Finally, the statement warns that the health center involved “cannot be held responsible or endorse statements to the media” of health professionals, if these occurred “outside the channels” of the protocol.
Background of the decision
The Community of Madrid also refers to a ruling issued by the Supreme Court of January 7, 1988. This concludes that “the physicians must request authorization from the director of the center so as to intervene (Interviews or news reports) in the media”.
In this regard, Madrid denies via Twitter that it applies prior censorship or prevents officials from speaking to the press without first obtaining their approval. It even qualifies the news from El País as false.
However, the Trade Union Confederation of Workers’ Commissions denounces that every day more professionals call for help or advice given the pressure they receive from the administration.
“Some decide to speak out fearlessly when they are about to retire. It is very striking that they do it when they no longer have anything to lose or fear of reprisals”, said Isabel Galvín, a representative of the union. In fact, she adds, in the teachers’ strike that the unions called last September 22 and 23, “the principals or directors were told not to talk to us”.
