On Monday, September 9, the Círculo Ecuestre held a new episode of the series of talks: Opinion Leaders with the relevant presence of Francisco Marhuenda, director of La Razón, as the protagonist of the event.
After the presentation of the event, by the president of the Círculo Ecuestre, Enrique Lacalle, the journalist held a dialogue with the lawyer and also journalist Ricardo Fernández Deu.
Asked by the moderator of the event, the director of La Razón began his presentation by highlighting the growing concern about the political drift in Spain. Marhuenda expressed his concern about the weakening of the rule of law, stressing that the current situation raises doubts about the independence of the powers of the State. In his words: "Democracy is a question of form. When the rule of law is weakened, confidence in the system is undermined". The journalist also criticized the political use of the amnesty, calling it an "act of force" by the Government, and questioning its constitutionality.
The director of La Razón also referred to political polarization, mentioning the ability of the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to mobilize his voters and stay in power, despite the tensions within Congress and international challenges. "There is no alternative majority that can displace him from power", he said, referring to the fragile coalition on which the current Government relies. Despite the criticism, Marhuenda recognized Sánchez's political astuteness, pointing out that he has managed to overcome adversities that, at another time, would have shaken any leader.
The colloquium addressed the phenomenon of immigration, which Marhuenda described as "the greatest challenge in Europe". The journalist regretted the lack of clear solutions and underlined the complexity of the problem, given the corruption and instability in the countries of origin. According to Marhuenda, immigration is an issue that increasingly worries Spanish society, and that requires a firm response from the center-right to prevent it from getting worse. The speaker stressed that in the era of mobile phones and globalisation, differences in quality of life are more visible than ever, which further encourages migration: “Millions of human beings are willing to die to reach Europe, because we are better off here”.
This phenomenon, he explained, fuels populism in Europe, and pointed out the urgency of implementing coordinated migration policies at European level. "If you don't do it, you subject European society to populism", he warned.
The migration issue was contextualized within the current Spanish political panorama, where the most radical formations have a growing influence in the government. According to the speakers, this situation generates uncertainty about the direction of the policies to follow. They added that, faced with this reality, "it is essential that politicians demonstrate merit and capacity, as well as business leaders, and that they work for the common good of the country", which Marhuenda has described as "the most important company".
The conversation addressed the repercussions of the international context, mentioning that what happens in the US elections will have a global impact. He also referred to the situation in Venezuela and the participation of figures such as former president Zapatero in mediation processes. Although this attempt at mediation was rejected by some of the parties involved, the speakers considered that it is a sincere effort to find solutions for the benefit of humanity.
The final part of the discussion served to reflect on the state of journalism in the era of social media. Asked about the perception that conventional media are "dead", Francisco Marhuenda called for a distinction between prestigious media and social media: "Let's not confuse journalistic content with information highways", he said. In this sense, the director of La Razón explained that "the real challenge is not the disappearance of paper, but the creation of relevant and quality content". "What we have to do is create content", he said.
Marhuenda stressed to the audience the great importance of adapting to changes in the way information is consumed, mentioning that, today, newspapers are present on various platforms, including social networks such as TikTok or Instagram.
To conclude, he emphasized that "changes in journalism do not mean its end, but rather an evolution". In light of this, he stressed that "true value lies in the creation of news that has credibility and depth, adjusting to current times and forms of consumption".