The Federation of Associations of Journalists of Spain (FAPE) has agreed to grant the protection requested by the journalists Daniel Rios, from 20minutos, y Patricia Romerofrom ABC, in response to the accusations they received from several people with accreditation as journalists and who are part of EDATV after the appearance on October 29 of Patxi Lópezspokesman of the socialist group in the Congress of Deputies.
As the Federation itself explains in a press release, the press conference was frustrated by the intervention of one of these people without respecting the order and uttering “an allegation full of disqualifications”, both against the Socialist spokesman and against the journalists present.
In addition, they recorded the intervention with a cell phone without permission, denounces the FAPE, “thus violating the rules of the press room”. After that, as the two professionals have denounced, the harassment continued through social networks with messages full of insults, threats and slander.
In a communiqué, FAPE assures that it “categorically” reproves the attitude of those who “do not respect the work of information professionals”. The organization also condemns the insults against Ríos and Romero, a situation “that spread after the frustrated meeting in the Congress of Deputies” and that, as the organization points out, ended up affecting also the rest of the professionals who cover parliamentary information.
As they recall, the FAPE has already condemned on several occasions the behavior shown by EDATV employees for “systematically violating” the code of ethics. of the profession, as well as “for not complying with the principle of truthfulness protected by Article 20 of the Spanish Constitution“. Likewise, the entity recalls that some of the members of EDATV have, in fact, “an open case for slander and libel”.
They ask for the withdrawal of their press accreditations
“Therefore, in the face of actions that seek to discredit and incite hatred and violence, FAPE expressly asks the authorities of the Congress to review the internal rules of conduct in such a way that press accreditations can be withdrawn from people who do not comply with the rules of respect and coexistence. and thus harm the journalistic profession,” FAPE urges.
“Journalism consists of honestly guaranteeing the citizen’s right to receive truthful information, not in provoking confrontations between professionals and impeding the exercise of colleagues with intimidating actions,” the organization adds.