No, the halal menu is not prohibited in Valencian schools

BarcelonaA few days ago, Vox spread the idea that they had banned the halal menu in Valencian schools. Most media outlets took the bait, and debates for and against multiplied on social media. But it turns out it wasn't true. The newspaper El Paíspublishes this Wednesday a report by journalist Ignacio Zafra that is an example of good journalism. Zafra has examined the details of the approved regulation, which only states that, in the case of meat, "the slaughter of the animal must have been carried out using a prior stunning procedure," and has confirmed with sources from the meat sector that most halal products already meet this requirement. Immediately after, he called the Ministry of Education, and they confirmed to him that the claim of the ban is false, and that schools can continue to offer menus based on students' beliefs, whether for religious, medical, or any other reason. For example, if a vegan menu is desired.

However, the news from El País will have much less reach on social media than Vox's announcement at the time, and the far-right plays on this. In the debate about how to journalistically treat these types of parties, this piece is a textbook example. It's about checking to what extent what they say is true (in fact, this should be done with all political announcements) and not uncritically accepting their version of events. This also applies to when they claim things like they would expel all minors from Ceuta, which cannot be done under current legislation, or when they say they will apply the concept of "national priority" to certain aid. In the Valencian case, for example, they have applied a "national priority," but it turns out to be Valencian. And this has caused state bodies with a high degree of mobility, such as police and military personnel, to complain. Amusing, isn't it?