The summer that awaits us
This Monday, one of the targets of Israel's attacks on Iran was the studios of the country's public television station, RIB. They were hit by a massive barrage of projectiles, killing several state broadcaster employees. The attack was also evident on screen. Presenter Sahar Emami was giving a fiery speech to the audience. She raised her index finger, her tone reminiscent of an indignant televangelist seeking to address the audience. Suddenly, an explosion halted the message. Emami fled as the studio filled with dust and debris.
Images of war are no longer limited to battlefields, and the media are among the interests to be defeated. We see very powerful scenes in the narrative, and analysis demands an increasingly global, yet deeper, perspective. Each new war obscures another. Gaza and Ukraine are now relegated to second and third place.
That same Monday, in In the mornings At TV3, Ariadna Oltra had multiple current affairs on her plate. And despite the focus on the PSOE crisis, she still had time to address the Israel-Iran conflict. In the studio, she was joined by TV3 international journalist Joan Roura and Catalan-Israeli journalist Ofer Laszewicki. She also connected with Catalina Gómez, a correspondent specializing in the Middle East. Their contributions allowed for an analysis that is very difficult to find on television these days. Roura warned: "Right now, we're in the worst-case scenario, which was predictable. Although we haven't hit rock bottom yet." Her colleagues agreed, and Oltra emphasized this point.
Everything points to a terribly turbulent few months, but instead, the calendar is leading us to a summer schedule that's bland, superficial, and entertainment-based.
The news special on this new conflict is long overdue, but it's obvious that this won't be enough either. The question is when public television plans to give space to this magnificent international section, historically very powerful. It also plans to give space to all the correspondents it has spread across key newsworthy countries. If the conflict is about to hit rock bottom, will we have enough news coverage during the holiday season? If TV3 plans to survive this summer by repurposing its 3Cat platform, everything points to it falling short. At what point will the network discover the need for an ambitious and demanding journalistic analysis program that goes beyond the usual talk show? TV3's complacency about dedicating a space to the documentary genre should be over by now. Beyond announcing the new technologies they're applying to future generations, NewscastThe question is: how bad will the world have to be for public television to react? A regular program of international and political analysis with experts and skilled professionals that is up to the gravity of the circumstances is urgently needed.