Other legal threats include pressure on journalistic sources and abusive lawsuits.

 

Spain follows a trend monitored in several other European countries regarding the safety of journalists during demonstrations, which is becoming an increasingly risky place for media professionals on assignment. With six alerts, they are the main context for physical assaults, threat to professional equipment, and insults. Physical assaults included a protester punching a journalist in the face, journalists hit with batons by riot police, and shot at point blank range with non-lethal detonating ammunition. During a protest, journalists’ equipment was damaged, with black paint sprayed on one of the camera lenses to prevent them from continuing to record. In February, the newsroom and office building of El Periodico de Catalunya was damaged by protesters who smashed the windows and painted the doors, while shouting anti-media slogans. Finally, Sonia Lopez, Marta Madonado, and a reporting crew for La Sexta TV were insulted and harassed while covering anti-mask and anti-vaccine gatherings. In addition, five attacks to property were recorded. The most serious case targeted the Spanish public broadcaster RTVE in Catalonia, which was heavily affected on the day of the region’s parliamentary election. An unknown arsonist damaged two repeaters, the small electronic devices that receive and transmit signals, forcing them to temporarily interrupt their election coverage for about two hours. 

Politics is – together with COVID-19, a sensitive topic which easily triggers insults and hatred. In March, journalists who were reporting live from a political event organised by the far-right party Vox were insulted and harassed by supporters. One woman journalist was called a “whore” and a “slut”. On its official Twitter account, Vox also suggested that people could express their anger at a satirical magazine’s editor after it published several cartoons mocking the party’s leadership. The city and street location of the magazine’s office were shared. Another example relates that a journalist specialising in farright movements received death threats on Twitter following his participation on a TV programme, where he spoke about the activities of the “Bastion Frontal” youth group. In total, four attacks were recorded online in 2021, including DDos cyber attacks against several independent media. Legal threats against journalists and editors were documented in four alerts. Quite disturbing is the fact that several media professionals face possible criminal prosecution over altercations with police officers during demonstrations that they were covering. In November, four journalists were notified of false testimony in a court case involving an alleged attack by a riot police officer during a protest in Madrid. During the trial, the police officer, who denied the assault, was acquitted while the four journalists, including three witnesses, will end up in court. The other example is El Pais photojournalist, Albert García, who was charged with resisting authority after protests in Barcelona. He was first arrested for an alleged attack against a police officer, before the High Court dismissed the crime and changed the charge. Other legal threats include pressure on journalistic sources and abusive lawsuits. El Diario’s editor was ordered by a judge to reveal who leaked a heritage report to a journalist in an invest‐igation about a former luxury residence owned by the family of General Franco. A few months before, seven journalists were targeted by civil and criminal lawsuits by the grandchildren of General Franco over an investigative report broad‐ casted on TV in 2018 about the origin of the Spanish dictator’s secret wealth and inheritance. They alleged the TV pro‐ gramme set out to tarnish the family’s