Believe in Journalism
Testimonials about journalism that inspire and give a hopeful look at the challenges ahead.
There is always something that can shed light: good journalism.
Journalists handle information to provide the public with as complete a picture as possible of what is going on.
BELIEVE IT
Hanna Arendt said in her book The human condition (1958) that it is precisely in democracies where there is a strong tension between politics and truth, ideally, the truth that journalists manage to unveil. In times of high tension -even in its most electric version, as has happened in Spain- politicians dream of a news blackout when they make mistakes, something goes wrong, or they are simply found to be responsible for an outrage; their opponents, also politicians, dream of the opposite: lights, and action! And, in principle, in a different league from that of power, journalists handle information to provide citizens with as complete a picture as possible of what is going on.
The tension that Arendt said is hard to maintain, and even harder if it is a chronic phenomenon, something that occurs in democracy. Assuming that this is the context in which we move, what would be the levers that allow journalism to fulfill its function, not to succumb to the intensity of the pressure of power and turn off the spotlight? I am afraid that something that is beyond ethical codes and style manuals, that the journalistic media believe that they are there to provide current, relevant and reliable information. And defend this freedom of the press as the essence of their own identity.
If the media and journalists cannot believe it, because that is the way life is, that is the way the media business is, that is the way political pressures are, then let's turn off. Because yes, the democratic network will be loosened, but we will be plunged into an information blackout, perhaps without even realizing it, and what kind subject democracy will we be in?
JAIME SANTIRSO
COM'13
Asia Correspondent for ABC
LIGHT BETWEEN THE CRACKS
My work as a correspondent in China often takes me to the Foreign Ministry's daily press conference . It takes place from Monday to Friday at three o'clock in the afternoon at the agency's headquarters, in front of the Chaoyangmen traffic circle in Beijing, and lasts as long as the questions from the audience last. Its liturgy is predictable: the spokesperson appears, gives the floor and then answers, or something similar, reiterating the official argument. In certain circumstances, however, the routine is exceptional. The journalist, after all, symbolically interpellates China, and his interventions formulated without prior filter allow him not only to invoke realities that in the mouth of a citizen would border on crime, but to push an authoritarian regime to accountability. "There's a crack in everything," sang Leonard Cohen, "that's how the light gets in." From these latitudes, journalism in its purest sense is clearly perceived, one of the few lights among such darkness. In a place where freedom of the press - like so many others - does not exist, it is up to the international media to record, if not the truth, at least the facts, where these represent a story dictated by the powers that be. This function is also becoming increasingly necessary at the global level as the popularization of artificial intelligence undermines the principle of verisimilitude. In a world where lies are indistinguishable from reality, the role of journalism emerges resplendent like the radios I saw in the streets of Barcelona during the great blackout: turned on full blast, with dozens of people listening in silence. Perhaps journalism has never been so weak, battered by its business drift and cornered by the "civilization of spectacle", but it has certainly never been so necessary. Today, the commitment to good professional practices is no longer just a deontological requirement: it is an urgency, before the light can only seep through a crack in the form of a transistor or a press conference.
In a world where lies are indistinguishable from reality, the role of journalism shines brightly.
THE POWER OF CONVERSATION
2024 was undoubtedly the year of radio. The year in which the best listening data were reached in the EGM for three decades, in a society increasingly audified, pending and dependent on their headphones to listen to live audio or podcast format. The year in which the Radio celebrated its centenary, 100 years of accompaniment with empathetic, close, deep, vibrant voices? The year in which we witnessed that radio was a creative industry on the rise with a more than profitable business model .
However, 2024 was also the year in which half of the population went to the polls in an environment of distrust never known before: Mexicans, Americans, Brazilians... citizens received audios through their social networks from politicians whose credibility they could not be sure of. Were they really their voices or were they synthetic clones with distorted messages?
In these 100 years of radio life, the audio ecosystem has undoubtedly changed. In 2007, Stanford professor Clifford Nass described in his book "Wired for Speech" how voice transforms our relationship with technology, from simple listening to meaningful conversation. Almost 20 years have passed since Nass described the evolution of audio in three simple steps: Listen to -Listening-, Talking to -Speaking- Speaking with -Conversing-. In other words, we have moved from passive consumption, listening to audio as a format, to the use of audio, of voice, as an interface for speaking and executing commands, as in the case of voice assistants.
Nass therefore introduced Conversation as a natural evolution of the use of human-machine interaction, an evolution that became a reality in November 2022 when Chat GPT was launched, whose main contribution was to offer access to a complex world in simple conversational language.
This impact of AI has elevated the use of voice to frankly unexpected heights and our interaction with machines is marking the adaptability and growing importance of radio and the audio industry: high-quality voice cloning in a few minutes, generation of synthetic voices, creation of sound identities...
Now, in this 2025 in which the centenary radio has already demonstrated its excellent state of health, Artificial Intelligence has overlapped with audio with an almost organic naturalness. The possibility of turning Audio into Data thanks to transcription and thus encouraging the distribution of an audio that previously did not go viral or indexed. Support tools to improve productivity and internal work ... There are many points in the creation and distribution of audio on which radio is already relying on. There is, however, a particularly relevant point in which radio must now take a step forward: verification.
Radio today has a great responsibility to a society with which it continues to maintain the relationship of trust that it established and has maintained for 100 years.
Radio today has a great responsibility to a society with which it continues to maintain the relationship of trust that it established and has maintained for 100 years. It must not only generate truthful and quality information as it has always done, but also act as a rigorous filter against synthetic voices -which our ear is no longer able to detect- and the disinformation that circulates in the digital space. In a world where artificial intelligence can manipulate Public discourse, radio must reinforce its role as a guarantor of truth, using the same artificial intelligence to verify and promote a transparent discussion . Only in this way can we ensure a healthy social conversation and preserve the democratic future.
ELSA MORENO
COM'93
Radio teacher at Fcomunav
Every February 13, we highlight the value of a communication and information media that demonstrates every day its ability to reinvent itself without losing its commitment to the truth.
PASSION FOR RADIO
On February 13 we celebrate World Radio Day. And we also celebrate the journalistic profession exercised and revalidated from a centenary medium that faces its second century of life with optimism. Resilient, innovative and creative, radio has historically distinguished itself by adapting to technological, social and cultural changes with speed and audacity. Radio is a means of information, conversation and citizen participation that relies on the cognitive and expressive value of the word to tell, analyze and understand what is happening near each occasional student, helping them to situate themselves in their own socio-cultural time. Also, in an increasingly global environment. Rooted locally in the world, radio communication and radio journalism enjoy large audiences (e.g. Edison Research, 2024; Rajar, 2024; AIMC-EGM, 2024) and credibility (e.g. Flash Eurobarometer, 2023). As the medium "most attached" to the news flow of the day, radio always finds its space between the changing mediations of the different news ecosystems.
Therefore, we face the present and the future of radio with optimism in order to respond to the challenges that lie ahead. Among them, to continue guaranteeing the right to information for citizens, to offer quality journalistic information, to interest future generations of listeners with new topics and narrative formulas, to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) from an ethical use, and to train new radio vocations with rigor and academic soundness.
In this framework, and on this day, we highlight the daily work of radio professionals and teachers. In particular, the fruitful trajectory of university teaching in its different aspects of radio and university radio. In Europe, Latin America and the United States, numerous programs of study underline the value of university radio, which can be summarized in the following three ideas. First: the opportunity offered by radio to disseminate research and contribute to the knowledge society. Second: its capacity to stimulate the socio-cultural life of the community. And third: the "own voice", younger, and perhaps more daring, that this subject of radio has in comparison with the commercial and public radio of each locality, region or country. These three basic ideas have been present in the collaborative teaching spaces of Radio Universidad de Navarra since September 29, 1999. A passion shared with 40 radio stations of Spanish universities, belonging to the association of University Radios of Spain (ARU); and others in different countries.
On December 18, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly "endorses" the resolution adopted by the General lecture of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its 36th meeting in which it proclaimed World Radio Day on February 13, the day on which United Nations Radio was established in 1946(Resolutions adopted, p. 12). Since then, every February 13, we highlight the value of a means of communication and information that demonstrates every day its ability to reinvent itself without losing its commitment to the truth.
REASONS TO BELIEVE IN JOURNALISM
This day in which we celebrate patron saint of the School of Communication, St. Francis de Sales, whom Pope Pius XI in 1923 set as an example of moderation and charity for journalists and writers, lends itself to a special reflection.
It encourages us to think about who we are and what we do, and how the communication professions can contribute to repairing some of the contemporary wounds: loneliness, hopelessness, division, wars or lies. It urges us directly to think about the stories we tell, the examples we point to, the techniques we use to be effective in a strategy.
This brings to the forefront the responsibility of the professions for which we train, which can have a profound impact on the lives of individuals, institutions and societies. To dedicate oneself to communication requires a deep knowledge of the world we live in, and to love it in its complexity and its profound contradictions. It also requires an intellectual training that is commensurate with the responsibility that is exercised. And, of course, of the technical training that allows us to take advantage of the opportunities to create and disseminate messages of all kinds subject. It also points to the need for a permanent attitude of listening and understanding that tends to approach in order to be able to approach.
Journalism is under constant harassment from many sides, highlighting its importance and its necessity
Among the communication professions, journalism is under constant harassment from many sides, which highlights its importance and its necessity. That is why this year we wanted to begin by asking a group group of professionals to write a few lines on the challenges facing journalism in 2025 that could raise hope among those who, by profession or by conviction, believe in its role in a truly free society.
I would like to thank the generosity of those who have contributed to this initiative. But we do not want to, nor should we, put doors on hope, and even less so in a jubilee year. And that is why we hope to continue enriching these ideas with others that will arrive throughout the year and that can provide reasons and motives for believing in journalism.
In the meantime, here's this first preview that encourages us to take a hard look at what's around us, and to recognize that we are here to build bridges.
MARC MARGINEDAS
COM'90
Journalist and war correspondent
2025, the year in which Journalism will be more necessary than ever before
Let's not be alarmed, but we start the year with disturbing news. goal, the business founded by Mark Zuckerberg and parent company of Facebook, Whats App, Instagram and Threads, has just made public its decision to remove its content moderation program, eliminating data verification and replacing it with 'community notes', following the model implemented in X, formerly Twitter, by Elon Musk. From now on, audiences will have one less tool to guarantee the veracity of the content transmitted on these platforms.
As can be expected, this means more room for maneuver, on a global scale, for fake news, manipulators, pseudo-media, intruders in our revered and vocational profession of informing....
But every coin has a flip side, and this is no exception. In a world where more and more leaders, governments and states are renouncing their obligation to maintain honest and truthful communication with their citizens, replacing it with propaganda and the dissemination of hoaxes or half-truths as methods to achieve their political objectives, journalists will be more necessary than ever. Because we will become one of the bastions available to our societies to protect them from attempts at manipulation through communication, attempts which, on the other hand, are not exclusive to any political ideology and are not limited to a single country or international political bloc.
It is true that, due to the successive crises in the media business model , the journalistic profession has become more precarious in recent years. But there is an intangible element that no salary or labor cuts will be able to take away from us, and which is intimately related to the above: the satisfaction of empowering society, of making it more resilient in the face of the eternal attempts to deceive it by malicious forces.
According to data of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law, 2025 will start with around 110 armed conflicts around the world. But two in particular, the invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza, will undoubtedly make the front pages of the newspapers. Regardless of the international efforts that may be undertaken to bring peace to these two areas of the world, both are an additional reminder of the continued relevance of our journalistic profession in this era of social networks and instant communication. Because neither algorithms, nor 280-character messages, nor chronicles written by artificial intelligence, will ever be able to replace the ability of human beings to empathize with the suffering of others and transmit it to their audience.
Journalism has always been a cornerstone of democracy. Its mission statement has been to give the public the information it needs and deserves to know so that citizens can govern themselves. That mission statement is more essential today than ever.
Today we are witnessing increasing polarization, weakening democracies and the rise of wannabe autocrats. We are also witnessing a dangerous phenomenon: People are increasingly unable to agree agreement on a common set of facts. Worse, we can no longer agree agreement on how to determine what constitutes a fact. All this endangers democracies and even human progress.
Journalism professionals must, and can, play a central role in ensuring that our democracies accept heated debates about policy, even as we go to agreement about the basic underlying facts. To do this, we must address the radical changes in the ways people consume information. We will have to radically change the way the media conveys information.
The challenges to democracy and an independent press are so great today that there is no other good option than to cooperate with each other.
This will mean taking advantage of the new tools that technology gives us to tell stories more efficiently and effectively. It also means that journalists around the world will have to collaborate more closely: practicing journalists with university journalism programs, journalists with technologists, and journalists from one media outlet with journalists from another.
The challenges to democracy and an independent press are so great today that there is no good option but to cooperate with each other.
CARMELA RÍOS
Journalist and social media expert
Rarely in history has journalism had so many powerful enemies. From relevant players in global technology to digital armies from different ideological spheres. All of them try to dilapidate the credibility of the reference letter media and convince their followers that it is possible to practice or enjoy journalism with financial aid of a social network and contents that, halfway between information, entertainment and political contention, do not respect the minimum rules of the profession.
Citizens are bewildered and bewildered. The menu of information that arrives to their social networks, to their cell phones contains a dense mix of information and disinformation. Never has the temptation to resign from the civic and democratic purpose to aspire to know the truth been so great.
Defending journalism, the revolution of 2025
The context challenges us but we must not take a step back. The journalism revolution implies a deep understanding of the digital environment, learning to observe it with method, adapting our tools to work (enquiry non-algorithmic social networks, artificial intelligence, journalism in the field adapted to platforms) and informing all audiences wherever they are. And to converse, the great pending subject of classic journalism.
ANGEL ARRESE
COM'90
Full Professor Communications Manager at Fcomunav
Today we are immersed in a complex technological and informational environment, in which journalistic media represent an increasingly less important part of our content consumption menu. Citizens are informed through social networks, they are less aware of the difference between quality news content and toxic content, they increasingly distrust institutions (including the media), and they perceive that 'journalism' is no longer that professional, respectful and respectable, plural and independent activity, which in the past played a fundamental role in shaping the universe of public issues that deserved shared attention, and whose discussion was essential for the progress of society, for the counterbalance of powers in democracies.
The media are increasingly necessary. And it is also necessary that they continue to work to reinforce their identity.
It is not surprising that in this context, in view of the growing deconfiguration of journalism and the media as the backbone of public discussion on issues of interest to citizens, the concepts of truth and veracity have also been disfigured, giving rise to phenomena such as fake news and disinformation. Verification', the first duty of journalism, has become a central process of discussion in the public arena, given the ease and growing interest of powers of all subject (political, economic, social, etc.) to distort reality in their favor. It is not surprising, in this sense, that the generalized doubt about the veracity of journalistic contents is being aired and fed (since its kick-off with the Trumpist speech on fake news) by populisms and political extremisms, left and right, that wish to mask and simplify reality as much as possible, disavowing the role of the media as privileged voices in the public sphere. The goal is not necessarily about supporting one political party over another, one particular interest over another. The goal is rather to contaminate that public sphere, and to sow distrust in the media, governments and the very idea that truth is possible.
In such status, the media must play an increasingly important role, which is reinforced by recent decisions such as that of goal to stop "checking" many of its contents. Because, as The Economist points out, social networks are not, have not been and should not be the place where the possible truth about issues of interest and current affairs is elucidated, and that is why the media are increasingly necessary. And it is also necessary that they continue working to reinforce their identity (in the face of so many substitutes of all kinds subject), as news services with a vocation to serve the common good, prepared by a professionalized essay , under the responsibility publishing house of a management, following the processes, principles and standards of action, and generally accepted journalistic codes of ethics. In other words, they should be the institution that has historically been an essential part of the configuration of advanced, fair, free and plural societies.
CHARO MARCOS
COM'98
Founder of Kloshletter and the AM Podcast
The resilience of official document lies in its ability to reinvent itself, adapt to new circumstances and maintain its commitment to truth and transparency.
RESISTANCE
The media face enormous challenges. It doesn't matter when you read this sentence. For decades, journalism has been beset by serious problems that have shaken the very Structures of official document. The crisis of trust, job insecurity, the irruption of digital technologies and growing misinformation have put the resistance of journalists and the media at test . But we are still here.
As the years go by, the challenges ahead are becoming increasingly complex. In 2025, journalism will come under new attacks from political power, which seeks to control it through increasingly sophisticated strategies now focused on restrictive laws, economic pressure and smear campaigns. The independence of the media will be in check as long as governments try to influence the media narrative with biased or false information.
Adding to these political attacks is the global economic status . The newspaper industry continues to face headwinds that further weaken it. Falling advertising revenues, the dominance of technology platforms and audience resistance to pay for quality content create an uncertain environment. Media sustainability depends on finding new forms of financing to maintain independence publishing house.
As if that were not enough, journalism must also increase its resistance to the disinformation and information fatigue that plague the audience. The proliferation of fake news, amplified by social networks and artificial intelligence tools, has generated an unprecedented credibility crisis. It is increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from lies, and this undermines the role of journalism as a guarantor of truthful information. Information fatigue, moreover, has led many people to disconnect, opting for shallow or biased content that reinforces their own beliefs rather than challenging their thinking.
Worst of all, the enemies of journalism have at their disposal increasingly advanced tools to weaken it. Technology, which should be an ally of truth, has become a weapon of mass disinformation. The manipulation of data, deepfakes and the automation of misleading content are in the hands of those who seek to discredit the media and erode democracy.
However, despite all these challenges, journalism continues to be a threat to those who abuse power and threaten our democracies. Otherwise, they would not put so much effort into putting an end to it. The resilience of official document lies in its ability to reinvent itself, adapt to new circumstances and maintain its commitment to truth and transparency. In this 2025, the media must bet on rigor, independence and innovation to continue fulfilling its fundamental mission statement : to serve citizens with honesty and courage.
ÍÑIGO ALFONSO IMÍZCOZ
COM'01
Journalist at RNE
In these times when digital life tells us "you can do it alone", when the algorithm makes us more solitary, we must vindicate the work in team, the essay
In these hard times with sophisticated artifacts in which, for many, it is not easy to distinguish truth from lies, we find a good moment to remember the origin of all this: let's go back, again and again when we are confused, to journalism. To what we were taught by our teachers who had to make their way also in very complicated situations. In essence: to tell what happens and what we know, to respect the facts, to act agreement with professional guidelines and to transmit it honestly to the audience. It is not little, but it is not heroic either. It is simply our work. Now that a mobile in the hand and two or three accounts in social networks may have changed everything (who knows?)... journalism emerges in this contemporary crisis of mediators as a victim and at the same time as an essential actor for its solution.
IN THE ESSAY
To decontaminate the air and restore confidence in public life, now so confrontational and polarized, our profession must take its place. It must place the reader, viewer and listener at the center of all efforts. So it will be useful to prestige deliberation: our mechanisms for constructing interesting and truthful stories that are born of listening, conversation, input and the knowledge of other fellow professionals from essay. In these times when digital life tells us "you can do it alone", when the algorithm makes us lonelier and encloses us in a sort of echo chamber, we must vindicate work as a team. The essay. That rara avis, that wide intergenerational table, mutilated by the cuts and adjustments of expense in the successive crises of the sector, today emerges as a shield for the good professional. Together we can do better. Together we know more. Together we will discuss, debate and agree on approaches. Today, when we vindicate journalism and want to continue contributing to it with our best efforts and talents, it is also the time to recognize that we cannot do it alone and that it is better to find the best companions for this journey.
JUAN ANDRÉS MUÑOZ
COM'97
Founder of Pamplonews/publisher en jefe de ACI Prensa/EWTN
Journalism is going through one of its most challenging (although it has always been challenging to be a journalist) and, at the same time, most exciting times. As a professional with more than a quarter of a century of experience in digital media, radio and television, I am optimistic about the future, especially because of the crucial role played by institutions such as the University of Navarra in the training of new generations of journalists. The ability to adapt has always been a characteristic of our profession. In the digital era, this resilience takes on special relevance in the face of constant technological changes and new models of information consumption.
The journalists of the future need to develop not only technical skills, but also solid ethical and professional criteria that will enable them to navigate an increasingly complex information ecosystem. The battle for truth is one of the greatest challenges of our time. As journalists we have the responsibility to be beacons in the fog. The verification of data, the contrast of sources and the ability to explain complex stories clearly and accurately are more valuable skills than ever, along with the humanistic training that allows us financial aid to understand in depth what it is and how the human being shares.
Commitment to truth, ethics and public service will continue to be our fundamental pillars.
My wish for the coming months is that we will be able to reconnect with our audience, whom we must serve, through quality journalism that is rigorous and committed to the truth. Future journalists must understand that our profession goes beyond the mere transmission of information. The University of Navarra, by becoming a point of connection between research and media professionals, is laying the groundwork instructions for a stronger and more resilient journalism. This innovative approach , together with the traditional values of our profession, will be fundamental to train journalists with criteria capable of successfully facing the challenges of tomorrow.
To students and future journalists I say: journalism will not only survive, it will grow stronger. The core topic is in keeping alive the fundamental principles of our profession as we adapt to new realities. Commitment to truth, ethics and public service will remain our fundamental pillars.
AINHOA PAREDES
COM'98
London Correspondent. Informativos Telecinco (MEDIASET ESPAÑA)
We need journalists. There is no doubt about that. And we need them to be the best. And we need them to be good people; we need their ethics to be above all else. And that their ethics win out over the noise that overshadows us, that deafens us, and that makes us, at times, lose perspective.
That noise that makes it difficult for us to understand the information we want to understand and unravel in order to convey it to our readers, listeners or audience also sometimes discourages us. We are not going to hide it... Because we are passionate about our work, but we are also people; human beings who, faced with this mission statement, need to constantly find a place to hold on to in order not to lose hope. I speak on behalf of the correspondents who sleep little and live with our cell phones glued to us and turned on 24 hours a day. And fighting for international news to continue to have the place it deserves in the media in 2025, beyond the United States.
Precisely, in moments of certain discouragement, I turn to one of my references for inspiration: Manuel Chaves Nogales. He is considered the best Spanish journalist of the 20th century. He died just over 80 years ago at the age of 47, in the city where I live: London. This Sevillian who fled France and took refuge in the British capital when the Nazis entered Paris during World War II, always applied to the end his professional Philosophy : "walk, observe, ask, understand and tell". Also when life led him to freelance.
NOTEPAD AND PEN JOURNALISTS
So we will continue to be there, including freelance journalists, telling what is happening in the countries where we live and trying to do it with closeness and empathy. As Manuel Chaves Nogales did, who, moreover, never stopped leaving Spain and reporting abroad, even when he was a boss. He traveled Europe on foot and also from the air(La vuelta a Europa en avión, 1929), with his notebook in his pocket. Because he considered that understanding what was happening outside our borders was not only important, but would help us understand what was happening in Spain.
We need journalists who are good people; whose ethics are above all else. And that this wins over the noise that overshadows us, that deafens us, and that makes us, at times, lose perspective.
And even if we embrace Artificial Intelligence to turn it into an ally to prevent it from engulfing us, please don't put down that notepad and pen. The essence of journalism should not change in 2025. The journalism that Chaves Nogales used to do can and should also be done today. The rush that marks our day to day as communicators, inside and outside the newsrooms, is no excuse.