Silvia Intxaurrondo finally defeats 'El Mundo'

Here is an interesting ruling on how to rectify and, above all, how not to rectify. Journalist Silvia Intxaurrondo sued The World because she considered that her right to present her version of information that affected her had been violated. On March 4, the newspaper had published an article entitled "RTVE renewed Silvia Intxaurrondo's contract for 537,000 euros the same day as her tough interview with Alberto Núñez Feijóo" with the aim of discrediting her, suggesting that her hiring had been an immediate reward for that day's program. She claimed, however, that the negotiations did not begin that day (they had begun earlier) nor was the contract signed then (it was more than a month later), among other discrepancies. The newspaper then published a second article, on March 8, which included the bulk of the lawsuit's observations, but without indicating to either party that a previous article was being rectified. The first ruling swallowed the bait and sided with The WorldBut now the journalist has won the appeal, so the newspaper must publish the text in which Intxaurrondo offered his version of the events.

The judges write a key paragraph: "The simple insertion of a different and contradictory version of the facts does not limit the media's power to confirm the information initially provided or to provide and disseminate data that confirms or supports it." That is, the existing right is to give a version of the facts and, based on that The World He played dirty by first denying Intxaurrondo the right to express himself in his own terms, and then by tweaking important aspects without alerting the reader that he was being scrutinized. It was clearly an abuse of power—I have the speakerphone—which has been rightly corrected.