The regeneration plan approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday contains thirty measures for greater transparency and control in politics and the media.
He ‘Action Plan for Democracy’ approved by the Tuesday Council of Ministers of the Government of Spain proposes to create a register of media outlets to know their owners and the publicity they receive, promises to increase institutional transparency and commits to pursuing disinformation with legal reforms.
The project, which includes 31 measurements and which is expected to be implemented in the three remaining years of the parliamentary term, includes measures that have been promised to parliamentary partners for years, such as reforming the crimes of insulting state institutions or violating religious sentiments, or updating the Official Secrets Act.
The goal, according to the Minister of the Presidency, Felix Bolañosis to expand and improve the quality of government information; to strengthen the transparency, plurality and accountability of the “information ecosystem”; and to strengthen the transparency of the legislature and the electoral system.
Among the innovative proposals there are several legal reforms to make it mandatory to hold the annual State of the Nation debate, also hold election debates, or publish all microdata from election polls.
Transparency in the media
In the media sector, the Spanish government wants the advertising investments of all public services to be published annually and to reform the Institutional Advertising Law to “introduce criteria of transparency, proportionality and non-discrimination in their allocation and guarantee an impartial audience.” measurement systems and supporting media in co-official languages.
Bet on limit the financing that public services can dedicate themselves to the media, “so that there are no media promoted by or dependent on public services”, and will also review the regulatory framework to “guarantee pluralism by avoiding the concentration of the media”.
Among the reforms planned in this area, it is also proposed to reform the law on professional secrecy for journalists, as well as the article of the so-called gag law, which sanctions the use of images of state security forces and bodies.
Against disinformation
The plan includes approving a strategy to combat disinformation campaigns and reform the Right to Honour and Privacy Act and the Right to Rectification Act, to improve the system that allows “false or openly biased” news to be corrected, with adequate compensation and deadlines.
This section includes the reform of crimes in the Criminal Code that may affect freedom of expression, in particular crimes concerning state institutions, religious sentiments or public ridicule.
Source: EITB
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
