One aspect of the COVID-19 crisis is affecting the relationship between the government and the media. Last week around half a thousand journalists, as well as the main associations that represent them, backed a manifesto entitled 'The freedom to ask questions' to protest against the system implemented by the Executive to deal with press conferences at the Moncloa Palace, in which questions were posed through a chat room and were selected and formulated to the speaker by the Secretary of State for Communication. Some media outlets even announced that they would no longer take part in them, considering the method of choosing the questions to be censorship.
Faced with the ever-increasing expansion of the protest, the government decided over the weekend to change the way the hearings were conducted and to combine chat and video-conferencing, which technically allows journalists who usually cover government information something as basic as cross-examination, which is unthinkable in the procedure being protested against.
Although all of this may seem a simple question of form, its importance is much more profound, because at a time of crisis such as the one we are experiencing, political power not only has the obligation to be extremely transparent in the content of its communications, but also in the form they take. In short, the old saying 'Caesar's wife must not only be honest, but also appear to be so'.
Moreover, in a situation where a state of alarm has been introduced, which gives the government exceptional powers, including the power to confine the population to their homes in the interests of public health, the fundamental role of the media in any democratic process is intensified. In fact, it is one of the few sectors in which activity is maintained, without belonging to the health or food sectors or their complementary sectors.
It must be said, on the other hand, that press conferences without questions are a temptation to which governments are increasingly falling prey, but also other parties of all political persuasions, and even sports and business organisations, to give examples outside of politics. This is totally and utterly incongruous. You cannot call a press conference an event to which journalists are summoned to read them a communiqué, as it goes against the very essence of the latter's function, which is to ask questions in order to inform their readers/listeners/spectators. Apart from the fact that, if the aim is simply to read a text into a microphone in order to get a photo, there are much quicker means, such as e-mail, which do not waste anyone's time. I'm sure the reporters will appreciate this, as they are not usually short of time.
The problem is that most of the time what is hidden behind these appearances is the fear of making mistakes, of talking too much, of not saying things that should not be said or, simply, of knowing that you don't really have interesting content to transmit. From a communication point of view, it is absurd and counterproductive to abuse this tool just 'to get in the photo', as it will end up frustrating those who have to write about our organisation and will end up ignoring us even when we really have news to tell. When any spokesperson for a party or other organisation goes to the media, they must be clear not only about what they want to say, but also about what is current in their sector and what is of interest to society, which is, after all, what reporters are going to ask them about. If you are not sure whether you can deal with these questions, the best decision is to seek the advice of a good communications expert.
Cristina García Alonso
Consultant senior of Proa Comunicación