Moncloa has again vetoed LA RAZON. The Secretary of State for Communication has excluded this newspaper from the group of media that will accompany the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, on his tour of Africa during which he will visit Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania to address the migration phenomenon. Although LA RAZON requested accreditation in a timely mannerlike other media that will travel with the president, The State Secretariat for Communication simply excluded this medium again without giving any further explanation. that is to say, “a question of space.”
The excuse offered by Moncloa is the same as in other trips in which this medium has also been ruled out, however, Some newspapers, televisions or portals always travel with the president. Pedro Sánchez has made several international trips or tours over the last year, visiting up to three countries in 48 hours, which is why the information can only be covered if he travels “embedded” in the official plane.
It is a written rule that during these trips The presence of public media such as “RNE” or “Agencia Efe” is always counted on. Also that the two large private media travel as «El País» and «Cadena Ser» and the rest of the seats rotate. However, during the last trips or tours for more than a year, there has not been a seat for LA RAZÓN on any of them.
That is why this media has decided to publicly denounce the continued punishment of its journalists by Moncloa. To give some examples, LA RAZON was banned from Sánchez’s trip to China, which he made more than a year agoSpecifically, on March 31, 2023, more than a year and a half ago. There was also no room for it on Sánchez’s trip to Slovenia, Belgium, Poland, Dublin and Norway. to promote the political process for the recognition of Palestine. Another example, this newspaper He was also not selected for the press trip that the Government organised in February 2024 to meet with King Mohammed VI.. Another one, the tour of the Middle East.
The matter is not trivial. These types of trips allow journalists covering political information to witness the bilateral meetings that the president holds with his counterparts. In addition, they are also an opportunity to having an off-the-record conversation with the president himself and his collaborators.
This newspaper will not be able to benefit from any of this, which, once again, will be at a disadvantage when reporting compared to other media outlets that will cover the African tour on site. At the same time, the migration issue is an issue to which this newspaper devotes space on its pages throughout the year, not just now, coinciding with the explosion of this new surge.
The veto of LA RAZÓN is not an isolated episode. Other newspapers such as “ABC” also recently denounced Moncloa’s refusal on these trips. This new veto coincides with the increasingly aggressive tone of Moncloa and the increasingly fewer questions after the Council of Ministers.