Spain journalist 'blacklist' row draws ministry apology

Spain's interior ministry apologised to journalists and denied trying to restrict media work on September 8 after El Confidencial reported that the ministry had compiled an internal list of reporters with notes on their political views.

The online newspaper said the dossier covered “dozens and dozens” of active journalists, including media directors and columnists, and contained photographs, comments on their work and descriptions of their political positions.

The Federation of Journalists' Associations of Spain, known as FAPE, criticised the ministry for what it called “an element of surveillance and potential retaliation”. It said no state body in a democratic society had the legitimacy to ideologically profile journalists.

The interior ministry said the list was “an internal document” created in 2024 for consultation and “without any intention of establishing censorship or any restriction or limit on the work of the journalists”. It apologised to professionals who may have felt offended by the document's contents and some of its comments.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said at a press conference in Ceuta that the document had “no ulterior motive” and did not lead to different treatment of media organisations or journalists.

The opposition Popular Party accused the ministry of “attacking journalists” and described the document as a “blacklist”. Its spokeswoman, Ester Munoz, said the practice recalled Spain's past under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.