The right and far right are targeting the children of journalists.

BarcelonaRTVE journalist Xabier Fortes has denounced on social media the attacks from the right and far right against his son, Daniel Fortes, who currently works for the Spanish public broadcaster. Carmen Sastre, a former RTVE board member appointed by the People's Party (PP), singled out the young journalist, claiming he obtained the job through preferential treatment. "Xabier Fortes' son already has a job at TVE. Here he is live on the 24-hour channel. I'm told he's contracted until the competitive exam (which gives him points) is held. It's curious that he's given a job to his son when he used to criticize families at TVE. I never got my daughter a job when I was an executive," Sastre said.

The far-right journalist Javier Negre joined the harassment campaign by making derogatory comments about Fortes' son's physical appearance. "The brat thinks he's so protected that he doesn't even have the slightest decency to take off his earring. And then they ask us to pay taxes to support these scumbags," Negre bellowed.

Faced with attacks from journalists aligned with right-wing and far-right ideologies, Fortes has used social media to defend his professional integrity and that of his son. In response to Sastre's post, the journalist explained that his son, who studied journalism at the Complutense University of Madrid, completed an unpaid internship this summer at RTVE and subsequently applied for a one-year training contract. "You have to be as toxic as polonium to attack a young man, lying like that, in order to defame his father. I never spoke about any of your relatives on TVE (and there were reasons to do so); it was enough for him to know how you pressured journalists to follow the talking points sent to you by the Ministry of the Interior."

This Sunday, after several days of exchanging messages on X, Fortes reflected on the harassment in a long thread on the social network. "Twisting and falsifying the facts to launch such a massive campaign against him [her son], even going so far as to use an enlarged photo as a target, surpasses any imaginable evil. Subsidized digital media outlets are collaborating in this campaign," he emphasizes.

Support from the news council and colleagues

The attacks from the right and far right have also provoked a response from the news council, which has come to Fortes' defense. "We condemn the insults directed at TVE employees. Let us remember that every person deserves to be valued for their own effort, merits, and conduct, regardless of their personal background or circumstances. These attacks are compounded by harassment," they stated. They added that the news council maintains that "access to and career advancement within RTVE should be governed by criteria of equality, merit, and ability."

Beyond the support of the news council, Fortes has also received support from colleagues. Journalist Esther Palomera, deputy director ofEldiario.esPalomera posted a message on X in which she described the harassers as having "foul mouths and black souls." "They know neither principles nor decency, and since they can't stand up to comparison in matters of integrity, they must target our children," she summarized. Palomera has also seen how the right wing has harassed and exploited her son. On X, a user named @ArturoVilla_ posted a photo of her son and claimed, without evidence, that he had a job at the consulting firm Acento, founded by former Socialist minister José Blanco. The message included many insults directed at the journalist and went viral, with over 145,000 views, thanks to reposts by far-right activists. Cristina Seguí also attacked Palomera through her daughter following an appearance by the journalist on [a program/program/etc.]. Ana Rosa's programOn Telecinco. "We have to return the favor to Sánchez for giving his son a job at Ferraz. He still doesn't put in much effort..." he wrote in X, referring to Palomera's son's position as general secretary of the Socialist Youth of Rivas-Vaciamadrid.

Another conflict he had was with Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Isabel Díaz Ayuso's chief of staff, following a report detailing the two million euros in commissions received by the Madrid president's partner through a mask purchase deal. "We're going to tear you apart. You'll have to close. Screw you. Idiots," are Rodríguez's words, sent via WhatsApp and published by the media outlet, which they interpreted as a threat. Ayuso's right-hand man claimed that he had saved his job on three occasions when he worked at The reasonSomething she refuted, reminding him that, in fact, it was a PP vice president who decided to force his departure.

Palomera's message of support for Xavier Fortes also quoted the editorial director ofInfoLibre Jesús Maraña, who has also become a target of the right and far right. In his case, the user Pablo Haro Urquízar, a contributor to the far-right media outlet, is the target. The ObjectiveHe asserted that the journalist "always changes his mind in favor of the Spanish government" because his daughters have jobs linked to the PSOE (one works as an advisor in Congress and the other did an internship at the Cervantes Institute).

Isaías Lafuente is another case that has received similar attacks on social media. In this case, someone posted a photograph of him and his son, explaining that the young man published on The Country due to nepotism, since his father is one of Prisa's star journalists. Lafuente clarified that his son was in his second year of the master's program organized by the newspaper and that, as part of the curriculum, he was required to publish an article. "These attacks are symptoms of polarization," the journalist explained in ARA. "I respond with my weapon, which is words, and without looking at how many followers the account had. It was only 50, and I'd say that, judging by the responses, it wasn't a huge leap. But in other cases, it's clear that the attack comes from an organized network that has clear objectives and repeats the messages insistently," he asserted. Lafuente also lamented that anonymity makes defense very difficult: "You feel unprotected. I could take legal action, wait five years, and have it all come to nothing. Some order needs to be brought to this digital Wild West."

In response to the right-wing and far-right campaign against the children of journalists, the Madrid Press Association has issued a statement condemning the actions. "Criticism must be based on arguments and within the context of journalistic and professional work, not on a personal level, much less a family one," they emphasize.