The Association of Parliamentary Journalists (APP) released a statement this Wednesday in which it condemns the attacks by ‘EDATV’ on informants who work in Congress and the Senate, after the day before its director, Javier Negre – convicted at the time for fabricating an interview – lying in the headline and bordering on “coercion” – confronted an ABC editor after she asked one of her workers not to publish images of her on social networks.
The organization has received the protection and support of the Madrid Press Association (APM) and of the Federation of Associations of Journalists of Spain (FAPE)who have joined in condemning the attitude of Negre and ‘EDATV’. The APP deplores the “serious insults” to journalists by a “small minority of accredited people” who, with a “repeated attitude”, try to destroy “the constant, professional and excellent work of parliamentary journalists, in the very free, plural and diverse context in which political and parliamentary life takes place. Until the emergence of ‘EDATV’, which considers all journalists “government supporters”, there had been no problems of coexistence despite working in media as diverse as ‘Público’ and esRadio.
The APP reminds that all professionals in Congress must “respect the deontological standards of the journalistic profession.” «Any conduct that hinders the exercise of journalistic work, whether by politicians or informants, is an attack on citizens’ right to truthful information. A right that belongs to citizens and not to journalists or politicians,” recalls the statement, which warns: «They can threaten us, they can scold us or slander us. These attitudes will not diminish one bit the will of the vast majority of journalists who work in Congress and the Senate to carry out their work.
The association leaves it in the hands of the congressional authorities to stop “unacceptable acts and behaviors” that “even clash with the chamber’s own rules.” Complaints in this regard are repeated, without the services of the Lower House having yet provided a solution. Negre has published a video on cut like after every press conference.
‘EDATV’ has also published an article that lies from its headline, because it falsely says that the journalists came out in defense of the PSOE spokesperson in the Lower House, Patxi López, and in which it points out, with a photo, name and surname, the professionals who blamed Negre for his behavior. A private discussion between supposed colleagues ends up being spread without their authorization as if it were news in a biased and distorted manner.
The incident occurred at the end of the press conference of the PSOE spokesperson in Congress, Patxi Lopezwhen Negre took the floor without being assigned his turn to ask the socialist “who he thinks he is” to “insult and bully” Vito Quiles, a person accredited in the Lower House who was on the lists of the anti-system electoral group The Party is Over. During his long question, as usual, he began to insult parliamentary journalists and accused them of maintaining a “complicit silence.”
Faced with the attack, the informants began to leave and the socialist López declared: “You’ve done it again.” At the moment Negre was going to start speaking, one of his workers began recording with his mobile phone in the Congressional press room, focusing on him, who was sitting next to an ABC editor. It is prohibited to record images with the telephone in the Lower House, as the press officer of the Socialist Parliamentary Group reminded that worker, to which he replied: “You have no shame, report whatever you want.”
Since ‘EDATV’ came to Congress it has been common for its workers to record in unauthorized spaces without this having any consequences. The ABC editor who covered the press conferences that morning asked the ‘EDATV’ worker that her image not appear on her social networks and warned him that otherwise it is denounceable, moments before Txema Guijarro appeared in the room, by Sumar. At that moment, Negre faced her and asked: “You’re scared, right?”
Several colleagues came out in defense of the ABC editor and Negre attacked them with insults. He called one a “thug,” another a “Government palmer,” then accused everyone present of defending the Executive and said goodbye with a message to a journalist from La Sexta: “Give my regards to Ferreras.” This tension between supposed colleagues was unprecedented before Congress decided to accredit ‘EDATV’ in the Lower House.
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