Iñaki Gabilondo is a reference for a large part of society and, especially, for the tribe dedicated to journalism. Not only because we associate his image with the night of 23-F, when he first appeared on screen to read an agency teletype announcing the failure of the coup, but because of his sober career in defense of rigorous and committed journalism. At a time when the information ecosystem is more disordered than ever, where misinformation can flow more easily through the spread of social networks, it was good to have him as a guest at the Foros de Vanguardia. And he did not disappoint.
Read more Iñaki Gabilondo: “Journalism consists of explaining what people have the right to know”
Gabilondo assures that we live in “times of informational flooding” and when this happens “with a billion signals coming from all sides, the first thing to run out of is drinking water.” And he encouraged the media to be a reference for potable informational water: “They must be more independent, more decent and with the highest possible quality, and not fall into traps, betrayals or collusion, because that counts against us,” he advised. Put more directly: “Journalism consists of explaining what people want to know.”
Applying this rule, the veteran journalist did not shy away from commenting on the judicial investigation initiated against José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. “Those of us who have known him would wish that everything ends up in nothing, but we have fears and, for the moment, it does not smell good. It even smells quite bad.” He was surprised that, in this context, Pedro Sánchez does not call elections and admitted that Zapatero “has scorched the president and socialism.” Gabilondo lamented the existing polarization that prevents very necessary state pacts for the country and was saddened “because half of Spain is toasting with champagne because a new corruption case has been discovered.”
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His intervention, in short, was a masterclass between the responsibility we have as media and the sensitivity and common sense of a great professional who has seen it all and is no longer afraid of anything. Moral authority and respect are not given away. They are earned with daily example. This is what this great Iñaki Gabilondo has always shown.
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