Marlaska defends the internal dossier of journalists

The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, defended this Tuesday that the Communication Office of his department prepared a dossier with a list of journalists, claiming that it was an "internal working document" that, as he emphasized, did not respond to any "spurious purpose". "As I have been informed, it is simply a working document to know and understand what is said about current events," Marlaska pointed out in response to the press from Ceuta. When asked again, he commented that the dossier would help to "convey the ministry's message". The head of the Interior has insisted that "in no way" does the Ministry he has led since 2018 "make distinctions either between media or between journalists when it comes to providing information and responding to any request". "It would be missing more," he added, emphasizing that they are "proactive" in everything related to the right to information. "It is certainly a value and a principle throughout the Ministry of the Interior and, specifically, also in its communication area," he argued. In this line, Marlaska has described the protection of media professionals against possible assaults during the news coverage they are carrying out about the crisis in Ceuta, after the entry of more than 72,000 people at the end of July, as "a top priority". In the press conference following the Council of Ministers, the spokesperson minister, Elma Saiz, emphasized that the Executive "deeply" respects press freedom and that it "acts accordingly every day". "I want to remind you that those who entered with a flamethrower in TVE or those who said 'we are going to crush you' are not us. This Government deeply respects the work of the media, firmly believes in press freedom, and acts accordingly every day," indicated Minister Elma Saiz. According to "El Confidencial", the first assignment to the Communication Office was made around the Christmas of 2023. In the final list prepared, descriptions such as "affiliated with the PSOE", "conservative tendency", "independent", or "supports the Government" were included next to each journalist. Sources from the Ministry of the Interior have confirmed that the Communication Office of the department led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska prepared an informational document for internal use that included various journalists. Likewise, they have emphasized that the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, neither ordered the preparation of that list of talk show hosts and journalists nor was aware of it until it was revealed by the press. They have also reiterated that the Ministry has always attended to all media and professionals, "without distinctions".