The College of Journalists of Catalonia (CPC) and the Consell de la Informació de Catalunya (CIC) have denounced the “complicity of a minority of media and journalists with the sewers of the state”, with behavior that “violates the most elementary principles of ethics”, after several recordings of former commissioner José Manuel Villarejo were released.
In a joint statement, both entities recall that the vast majority of journalists are committed to democracy and ethical values, but that Villarejo’s audios “reveal that when it comes to constructing lies and intoxicating and manipulating citizens, the sewers of the State have had the complicity of some media officials, journalists, columnists and commentators”.
“Without their complicity – they add -, the sewers of the State would not have achieved their objectives. And the serious thing is that, in most cases, the journalists and media involved knew that it was false information and spread it.”
For the CPC and the CIC, “the bad practices of a minority of media journalists not only harm the credibility of the profession as a whole, but also spoil democracy” because “there is an essential link between the practice of journalism and the democracy”.
They assure that the current media ecosystem “suffers from an opacity that often hides the true interests of some media outlets, which act as organs of propaganda.”
“This trend has worsened when alleged media outlets that contribute to democratic degradation, the propagation of hatred and manipulation have burst into the digital sphere. They are media that respond to the interests of certain economic pressure groups, and whose only function is to wear down public positions that put limits on their power”, add the Col·legi de Periodistes and the Consell de la Informació de Catalunya.
“We believe that a democratic regeneration is necessary and that this is not possible without, at the same time, a regeneration of journalism in our country. CPC and CIC are committed to promoting this process of collective reflection,” the statement concludes.
