The political dust stirred up by the dossier prepared by the Communication Office of the Ministry of the Interior is dealing a significant blow to the Executive in terms of institutional credibility. The scope of the maneuver – a catalog in which dozens of journalists and political analysts are rated and identified by their ideological orientation – has proven to be of such a caliber that it has completely disabled any attempt at justification. Faced with the impossibility of presenting a reasonable argument to support the existence of such an inventory, within the coalition and the affected department itself, nothing has been heard but apologies and an explicit admission that an indefensible error has been made.
The head of the Interior Ministry, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has tried to weather the storm in the Congress control session after the existence of the controversial document became known. Harassed by the PP secretary general, Miguel Tellado – who described the list as typical of a “banana dictatorship” before demanding his resignation – the minister emphasized that the text “does not define people by ideology” nor does it pursue the creation of “blacklists.” Marlaska has made an effort to explain that the initiative lacked “ulterior motives” and insisted that the department treats all media with professionalism and the utmost rigor. However, faced with the evidence of the document, the Interior Minister avoided any attempt at justification and referred to the apologies issued by his Ministry in case anyone felt offended or upset by the format.
From the department’s own headquarters, it has been repeatedly emphasized in recent hours that the work, drafted between late 2023 and early 2024, is purely “consultative and internal.” Although the Interior Ministry has assured that the list has never conditioned daily treatment of professionals nor sought to limit press freedom, the official statement issued by the Communication Office has conveyed its apologies to all journalists who may have felt offended both by the material and the assessments made in it. This has been reinforced by the firm rejection of the main professional associations, which yesterday closed the door to any official excuse by sharing a categorical condemnation.
The shockwave has fully reached the Moncloa Palace. The Prime Minister himself, Pedro Sánchez, was forced to directly address the issue during an interview with Televisión Española. Sánchez, who categorically stated that he was unaware of the existence of the compilation, did not want to sugarcoat the stumble and openly described it as a “very unfortunate” and “inappropriate” document. The head of the Executive stressed his respect for the autonomy and independence of the media and tried to redirect the debate by accusing the opposition of systematic finger-pointing and of funding agitators when in government.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the socialist group, Patxi López, avoided any support for the Interior Ministry’s actions by briefly stating in the corridors that he does not like lists that classify anyone for any reason, much less for a political stance.
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Sánchez did not want to sugarcoat the stumble and openly described it as a “very unfortunate” and “inappropriate” document
In the Lower House, the lack of support for the Ministry of the Interior was unanimous, highlighting the isolation in which Marlaska’s communication team has been left. Even within the Council of Ministers, the Health Minister, Mónica García, called the list “ridiculous” and “shabby,” attributing it to the clumsiness of its authors, although she tried to divert attention to the “blacklists” of the former patriotic police of the Popular Party.
The harshness of the usual investiture partners has fully revealed the seriousness of the slip. The ERC spokesperson, Gabriel Rufián, used irony to describe the episode as “shabbiness” and suggested that someone was paid for work that could have been resolved with a simple Google search, warning that if public funds were used, it would be “embezzling shabbiness.”
In an even more blunt tone, Junts deputy Marta Madrenas has toughened her stance against the minister’s overall management, ironically saying that Marlaska is a “crack at making police files on journalists” while showing incapacity to control police action or manage territorial crises, for which reason she has openly demanded that he be removed from office.
Data Protection Agency
Ex officio investigation
The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) will open an ex officio investigation to analyze the use and legal basis of the data processing carried out by the Ministry of the Interior following the preparation of the controversial list.
The AEPD will “analyze, among other aspects, the nature, scope, use, and legal basis of this personal data processing” done by Interior, “without the initiation of these proceedings prejudging the existence of an infringement.”
All personal data processing must comply with the requirements of Article 5 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – including the purpose limitation principle – and Article 6 – existence of a lawful basis. This is without prejudice to the fact that when it comes to special categories of data, such as data on ideology or political opinions, “there must be a cause that lifts the general prohibition on their processing” established in Article 9.1 of the Data Protection Regulation.
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