Jesús González / Special Envoy
The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and the US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, have signed a bilateral agreement to combat disinformation, after the meeting that both held today in Washington. In the signed memorandum, special mention is made of Spanish, but other languages are not excluded, diplomatic sources informed The Diplomat. In the United States there are currently 324 media outlets in Spanish.
The content of the memorandum, explained by the same sources, has five fundamental points:
“1.- Spain and the United States decide to jointly address the information manipulation that is exercised through methods such as propaganda or disinformation, which can create or encourage within the countries and compromise the integrity of the elections.
2.- They point out that internal interference is a threat to national security.
3.- A work plan on disinformation is established in Spanish, but other languages are not excluded.
4.- The participants in the agreement will support the institutions that cooperate in this matter.
5.- In the bilateral sphere created to counteract manipulation, both States will always exchange information within the framework of the laws and regulations of each of the two countries.”
European press law
This agreement comes just a week after the approval of the European Union Press Freedom Law, which must be transposed by Spain. It establishes a new set of rules to protect media pluralism and independence in the EU. They will ensure that media (public and private) can operate more easily across borders in the EU internal market, without undue pressure and taking into account the digital transformation of the media space.
Authorities will be prohibited from pressuring journalists and editors to disclose their sources: they will not be able to detain them, sanction them, search their offices or install intrusive surveillance programs on their electronic devices. Important safeguards have been added to allow the use of spyware. This will only be possible for specific cases and with prior judicial authorization to investigate serious crimes punishable by prison sentences. Journalists will have to be informed that they have been subject to surveillance and will be able to challenge it in court.
A mechanism has also been included to prevent very large online platforms, such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, from arbitrarily restricting or removing content from independent media. Platforms will first have to distinguish independent media from non-independent sources. Media outlets will be notified when the platform intends to remove or restrict their content and will have twenty-four hours to respond. Only after receiving a response (or in the absence of one) will the platform be able to remove or restrict content if it still does not comply with its conditions.
