Democràcia i control de la informació

Abstract

The classical doctrine led to the Liberal State of Law, which is still in vigor with regard to public rights and freedoms, among them the right to free speech and freedom of the press. This article reflects upon the question of whether or not one can consider truly democratic the situation of Spain or Catalonia, where the governments and parliaments exercise such an abusive control over the media - public and private - that one wonders if public opinion can be formed in real liberty. Elections give parliaments and governments the right to exercise political power but not to condition public opinion by controlling the media or by awarding licenses to the private sector and using partisan choices to determine news content or access to private radio stations or television channels. The question we must ask is: who can replace democratically elected representatives in the public management of the audiovisual industry?