Fallen shoemaker. Early?

The imputation is a judicial figure that places the accused in limbo: the judge has detected enough evidence to open a case against him, but many things still have to happen before reaching a firm conviction. And yet, the media penalty begins to be paid immediately. The Zapatero case is paradigmatic. El País, for example, shows respect for the procedural moment he is in and headlines using formulas such as "The Court attributes to him...", "The investigation maintains..." or "The judge implicates him...". Afterwards, in the editorial, it admits that all of this exudes a worrying stench and that "the word lawfare, a way of sowing generalized doubts about justice to politically protect oneself from proceedings, is out of place in this case", but the information is careful not to anticipate events. That of the presumption of innocence, in short.

On the other hand, the former Spanish president's bones are already being picked clean. "International commissioner Zapatero caught", headlines in large letters in El Mundo, as if they had captured a dangerous fugitive drug trafficker. "Zapatero led a criminal scheme", claims Abc, again without remembering that this is a judicial consideration on which the interested party will now have the opportunity to defend himself. The most surprising treatment is that of La Razón, because it does not rush to make firewood out of the fallen Zapatero, but rather gifts him the front-page headline by putting this quote from him: "I never made any arrangements for the rescue of Plus Ultra". There was an opportunity to gnaw at his jugular. Who knows if it's a favor from Planeta, delayed three decades. After all, it was Zapatero who eliminated RTVE advertising – which sent private companies' profits soaring – and who approved the merger of Antena 3 with La Sexta. It would be ungrateful not to be thankful to him.