One of the most comforting spectacles on election nights is the string of politicians trying to present their results in the best possible light, even if they have lost oxen, seats, and all their possessions. But this ritual has another echo the next day, when the front pages appear in the kiosks. For some time now – specifically since the end of bipartisanship has complicated parliamentary arithmetic –, the emphasis tends to be placed more on the loser than on the winner, especially in newspapers most entrenched in politics. It is interesting, therefore, to see how this mirror image holds true in the case of Andalusia. Although Juanma Moreno has been left without an absolute majority, La Razón presented him as an unqualified winner and attacked the socialists: “Moreno wins the elections and Sánchez and Montero sink the PSOE.” El Mundo at least had the honesty not to put too much glitter on the PP's figures with a headline that began with “Uncomfortable victory for Moreno”, although it immediately rushed to add “although the PSOE suffered a historic debacle.” In contrast, for El País, the most annoying pit of the electoral olive was found between the teeth of the Andalusian president: “The PP loses its absolute majority in Andalusia and will depend on Vox.” And La Vanguardia, 20 Minutos,La Opinión de Málaga,ElPeriódico or Córdoba also published negative headlines for the PP.
It is normal for the media to say who wins and who loses, but the fact that there is more space dedicated to the part of the defeat – and that this coincides with the headlines most aligned with one side or the other – shows the difficulty of doing more analytical political journalism, detached from likes and dislikes. Perhaps the media should be aware of this and not add our spice to the gazpacho of polarization that, in the end and as it seems, ends up favoring the far right.
