A court in Spain has ordered RTVE and its president, José Pablo López, to read an official correction on air during the Mañaneros program at the request of the Madrid government. The reason was a segment aired in December, where a €43 million subsidy for the Colegio de Abogados de Madrid (ICAM) was linked to the organization’s role as the prosecution in the case against the country’s then Attorney General. The court did not assess the veracity of the claims but recognized the regional government’s right to a public clarification and to present its position in the same broadcast at the same time, with a mandatory mention of the court decision and a full reading of the text.
The essence of the conflict
In the disputed segment on Mañaneros, it was stated: “Ayuso rewards the accusation against the prosecutor. A €43 million subsidy for the ICAM a week before the complaint against the prosecutor, and later, a license to become a university.” This text accompanied an interview with former judge Baltasar Garzón. After the broadcast, the head of the Madrid government’s office, Miguel Ángel García Martín, sent RTVE a request for correction, stating that the subsidy was intended to pay for free legal aid, and the authorization for educational programs was issued following the standard procedure and was not related to the legal proceedings against prosecutor Álvaro García Ortiz.
The position of the Madrid government
The letter, which served as the basis for the upcoming correction, emphasized that attempts to link payments for legal aid to other circumstances are misleading and discredit both the region and ICAM. It was also noted that the process of coordinating educational programs began back in 2023 and met all requirements. At the same time, the court ordered the removal from the correction of the statement that García Ortiz was ‘condemned for breaking the law,’ as this exceeds the permissible scope.
RTVE’s Response and Consequences
RTVE may appeal the decision, but for now is obliged to read the correction on air during Mañaneros. The company’s argument that only opinions were expressed on air, and therefore not subject to correction, was rejected by the court. In addition, the Madrid government must cover legal costs for one of the RTVE employees wrongly implicated in the case, who was mistakenly named as the show’s director.
The situation with public corrections in Spanish media is not unique. For example, earlier in Alicante, a court summoned former officials over the sale of municipal housing, which also generated widespread public interest—read more about this in the article on legal proceedings over municipal real estate in Alicante.
