Commuter rail and the branch-like nature of Madrid
The commuter rail system's inefficiency has been going on for years. However, the Madrid media only started paying attention when their own commuter rail service began to fail. Amid the rail crisis and the severity of the accidents in Adamuz and Gelida, the problems with Renfe in Catalonia have become the epicenter of the drama. They have served to accentuate this effect of a mountain of problems where more and more circumstances keep piling up. The reports on the commuter rail are more or less the same everywhere: dispatches from stations explaining the system's shutdowns and statements from desperate users. Added to this is the political squabble to assign blame. But beyond this, there are three basic axes around which the narrative pivots, both in news programs and morning shows. A first factor is the instrumentalization of the conflict. The disaster has become a tool to undermine Pedro Sánchez's government and its relations with the Catalan independence movement. On Monday, Susanna Griso reminded everyone thatPedro Sánchez has been in power for seven years. I mean, this crisis is hitting him hard. He's already been involved with ERC.Ana Rosa Quintana has repeatedly insisted on demanding the resignation of the Spanish president and Minister Óscar Puente.
The other central theme of the case is Madrid-centrism. Sandra Golpe, fromAntena 3 News, used the expression "There, in Catalonia"A resource that emphasizes distance and the foreign perspective. The mispronunciation of place names and the geographical approximations betray a lack of knowledge of the territory. On Tuesday, the problems with the high-speed rail line between Madrid and Barcelona were in full swing. Even Susanna Griso admitted to having opted for the car instead of coming to Catalonia, due to distrust of television, distrust of the breakdowns and the reduced speed, which contributed to the media outrage over the service's deficiencies."Communication with Madrid is becoming more complicated.", they headlined in Public MirrorThe problems have highlighted that the radial rail structure, which has always prioritized Madrid, suddenly leaves no alternatives.
The third characteristic of the news is the sensationalization of the drama to delirious levels. Susanna Griso recalled statements from the interview with Miguel Ángel Revilla, who, for the umpteenth time, had visited The anthill to add a demagogic touch to the disaster. The journalist emphasized it as if her words were relevant in that context. Griso, who interviewed the actor Antonio Banderas, also asked him if he thought Minister Óscar Puente should resign. Meanwhile, Ana Rosa Quintana fueled the farce by investigating the luxury cars owned by the president of Renfe.
Beyond the issue of branch office status, the Cercanías drama seems, from the perspective of the Spanish media, to be a problem of this week and not an incompetence that has lasted for more than a decade.