Accidents at work and their prevention in editorials of the Spanish national press (ABC, El País, and El Mundo, 1994-2014)

Abstract

The analysis of editorials in the Spanish national press –El País, El Mundo and ABC– over a period of two decades reveals that far too little attention has been paid to accidents and safety at work. After the 1995 law about prevention and safety at work was issued, most editorials were related to fatal injuries in the years with the highest accident rate in Spain. Since 2007, in the context of a serious economic crisis, editorials have practically disappeared, and the topic of prevention has been used as an excuse to accuse trade unions of fund misappropriation. This paper, which uses using ‘Framing’ as its main methodology, proves that, despite coincidence in the main frames, actual treatment is different. While ABC and El Mundo launch accusations against the unions, El País demands a stronger voice for them, privileging the sectors where they are most relevant, such as mining and industry.