Governmental Control of Spanish Public Televison and Pluralism in Newcasts

Abstract

The goal of this study is to analyze and compare television newscasts broadcast during the most recent terms of office for Spain’s two primary political parties: the PSOE (the Socialist Party) and the PP (the conservative People’s Party); in order to better understand the characteristics of RTVE’s (The Spanish Radio and Television Corporation, a stateowned entity) communications strategy and to determine if changes in the governing party as well as at the senior management level in the newsroom have influenced the editorial policy of public television. The level of formal pluralism recorded does not always imply a neutral approach to reporting, nor does it mean that rigorous standards are always enforced. The facts show that in many cases there is no relationship between the quantitative and qualitative elements of any given story. The results of this study confirm that political consensus with regards to public television improves accuracy, transparency and pluralism of information, in addition to decreasing manipulation and censorship.