Spanish media and how to follow the news

Key rules

• Leanings: Most outlets lean one way, so compare at least two from opposite sides on any big story.
• Public broadcasters: State and regional public media are chosen by parliaments, so they can reflect the governing party.
• Ownership: Owners change often, so check who owns an outlet now.
• Fact-checking: Check doubtful claims with a fact-checker before sharing or acting on them.

The short version

Most Spanish outlets have a clear political leaning, and many are tied to large business groups. Read at least two outlets from different sides on any big story. The leanings below are general characterisations, not formal labels.

Newspapers

• El País: centre-left, with a tilt towards the PSOE (the Socialist party). Owned by the Prisa group.
• El Mundo: centre-right.
• ABC: conservative and monarchist. Owned by Vocento.
• La Razón: conservative. Owned by Grupo Planeta.
• La Vanguardia: Barcelona-based, centrist-liberal and Catalan. Owned by Grupo Godó.
• El Periódico: centre-left. Owned by Prensa Ibérica.

Online-only outlets are more varied:

• Left: the official website (funded by its members) and Público.
• Centre-right: El Confidencial, El Español and Vozpópuli.
• Right or populist right: OKDiario, The Objective (La Información), Libertad Digital and El Debate. El Debate has a Catholic outlook.

TV and radio

• RTVE is the public broadcaster.
• Atresmedia owns Antena 3, which is centre-right, and laSexta, which leans more left. Planeta controls the group.
• Mediaset España owns Telecinco and Cuatro. It is generally centre-right and populist.
• Radio: SER (Prisa) leans left. COPE (owned by the Catholic Church) is conservative. Onda Cero (Atresmedia) is centre-right. esRadio is right.

Ownership changes often, with stakes sold at Prisa, Vocento and Mediaset. Look up who owns an outlet today.

Public broadcasters and politics

Public does not mean neutral. RTVE's board and president are chosen by Congress and the Senate, with qualified majorities. In practice, party quotas caused long deadlocks until a 2024 renewal.

Regional broadcasters work the same way, with each regional parliament electing the board:

• TV3 in Catalonia
• EiTB in the Basque Country
• TVG in Galicia
• Canal Sur in Andalusia

All are criticised for partisan influence in appointments. In Galicia and Andalusia, the governing PP has strong influence over leadership.

How to recognise alignment

Look for patterns, not single stories. The checklist below lists the signals in full. The most useful ones are:

• Whom the outlet interviews and frames kindly.
• Word choice. "Okupas", "sanchismo" and "lawfare" signal one side. "Amnistía" versus "ley del olvido" is another pair.
• Which corruption cases get the headlines, and whether only one side's cases do.
• The paper's Editorial, which states its official line, plus its columnists and talk-show guests.
• Coverage of Catalonia. Compare unionist and pluralist framing.

Reading El País next to ABC or El Mundo on the same story shows the slant quickly.

How much to trust the news

Trust in the news in Spain is low. International surveys put it in the mid-30s percent, below the Nordic countries. Spain is also highly polarised, and many people worry about misinformation. On press freedom, Spain ranks in the "satisfactory" band, roughly 20th to 30th of 180 countries. Pressures include polarisation, harassment of journalists and concentrated ownership.

Before you share or act on a doubtful claim, run it through a fact-checker. The resources below list reliable news and data sources, including fact-checkers and English-language options.

Checklist

• Read the same story in El País and in ABC or El Mundo to see how each frames it.

• Check which party leaders get interviews and friendly framing in the outlet you follow.

• Note loaded vocabulary such as "okupas", "sanchismo", "lawfare" or "amnistía" versus "ley del olvido".

• Compare how headlines treat corruption cases: do they cover only one side's cases?

• Read the paper's Editorial to see its official line, and look at its opinion columnists and talk-show guests.

• Look up who owns the outlet and who advertises in it.

• Check whether a regional public broadcaster echoes its regional government, and how the outlet covers Catalonia.

Reliable news and data sources on Spanish politics

Reliable news, fact-checkers and official data

• El País, El Mundo, ABC and La Vanguardia: Read national newspapers from different sides to compare coverage: El País leans centre-left, El Mundo centre-right, ABC conservative, and La Vanguardia is a centrist Barcelona paper.

• the official website, Público and El Confidencial: Add digital outlets for a wider range: the official website and Público lean left, while El Confidencial is a general digital paper.

• RTVE, Antena 3, laSexta and Telecinco: Watch public television (RTVE) as a baseline, and note that Antena 3 and Telecinco lean centre-right while laSexta leans more to the left.

• Reuters, AP, BBC, Financial Times and The Guardian: Use these English-language outlets for national politics. El País in English is a free, translated selection of its stories.

• Catalan News, The Local Spain and Euro Weekly News: Use these for lighter, practical local news for residents, but check big political claims against a wire agency.

• the official website, Newtral and EFE Verifica: Check viral claims and political statements with these Spanish fact-checkers. Verificat covers Catalonia.

• CIS, the state public opinion research centre: Look up the public opinion barometers and survey data it publishes.

• Ministry of the Interior and the Junta Electoral Central: Find official election results, including historical ones, and the rules for how elections are run.

• Congress and Senate websites: Check how parties voted, which bills are being debated and the schedule of sessions.

• BOE, the official state gazette: Read the exact text of new laws and decrees. Regional gazettes publish regional rules.

• INE and the open data portal the official website: Download official statistics and open government datasets to check figures quoted in the news.

Frequently asked questions

Do regional public broadcasters like TV3 or TVG follow their regional government?

Often they are criticised for doing so, because each regional parliament elects the board and the governing party has strong influence. TVG in Galicia and Canal Sur in Andalusia are cited as examples where the ruling PP shapes leadership. Compare their coverage of regional politics with a national outlet before relying on it.

Is Spain's national broadcaster RTVE independent of the government?

Not fully, although it is meant to be. Congress and the Senate choose its board and president by qualified majorities after a public-merit competition.

How much do Spaniards trust the news?

Trust in most news in Spain is low, in the mid-30s percent in recent years. That is below the Nordic countries. Spain also ranks in the satisfactory band for press freedom, roughly in the 20s to 30s out of 180 countries.

Which words in a headline show a paper's political lean?

Loaded terms are a good clue, such as "sanchismo" or "Frente Popular" on the right, and "ultraderecha" versus "derecha radical". The same story may say "Gobierno de Sánchez" in one paper and "Ejecutivo" in another. Reading the same story in El País and in ABC or El Mundo makes the slant clear.

References

1. eldiario.es
2. maldita.es
3. datos.gob.es