After the journey through the desert that the dictatorship meant for the exercise of journalism, the 1978 Constitution brought freedom of expression and the right to information to Spain. For a few years, we felt sheltered by the conviction that what came to us through the media had ceased to be manipulative propaganda at the service of the powers of the State and its new objective focused on the triad of forming, informing and entertaining. The news events were served to us uncooked by independent chefs and from their rawness each individual obtained their own reading and their own conclusion.
With the explosion of the Internet and the different electronic formats and channels, information production became popular to unsuspected levels and generated an even greater state of euphoria regarding access to rigorous and truthful data. The fading of the distinction between journalists and citizens and the disappearance of intermediaries and filters would allow the entire spectrum of alternative accounts to the official one to play on equal terms.
Unfortunately, that first optimistic analysis about the absolute freedom of the flow of news, which predicted the construction of a society capable of making the best decisions based on the greatest transparency, collapsed. The same technology that promoted the dissemination of the truth served as an ideal, immediate and unlimited channel for the transmission of hoaxes, fake news, rumors and half-truths, always with the aim of damaging the political, business or any other public opponent.
And there is no doubt that politics is the perfect breeding ground for disinformation because it deals with complex issues that are susceptible to diverse interpretations. Any statement can be twisted, any measure taken brings out a multitude of alternatives that will never be tested. And through online communication platforms, parallel stories multiply until the central issue of the debate is forgotten.
We have seen several examples of this destabilizing strategy in this partisan war that is not abandoned even in critical situations such as the current global pandemic. We have seen fake news and memes run at lightning speed, showing how accurate the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's research is, which ensures that hoaxes are shared 70 percent more than real news.
I imagine how exhausting it is to fight against the virus and also fight against lies. To offer information about what is happening and even more about what is not happening. Not everything is valid, not everything should be valid to wear down the political rival. Adding pressure to those who make decisions aimed at saving lives is a real irresponsibility that citizens should never forget.
Ariagona González, national deputy and Minister of Industry and Energy of the Cabildo de Lanzarote
