I give an account. Annual balance sheet

The heading of the annual report of the Reader's Ombudsman must be one of gratitude to the 235 people who have sent me their complaints, both to those who have seen them commented on in my columns and to those I have not been able to address publicly, but which I have read, assessed and, as much as I could, conveyed to the editorial staff. The time frame of the analysis runs from May 5, 2025, to June 7, 2026, and the results and assessments were presented to the editorial board on September 17.You will find the data in the infographic, so I am conveying my reflections to you accordingly.The preliminary idea is that the Reader's Ombudsman, being a container for criticism, inspired by the Office of the Ombudsman and in general by ombuds, should not fall into the synecdoche syndrome, where the negative part is extensible to the entire newspaper; quite the contrary, we start from the premise that the journalistic product is good and that the criticisms have great qualitative value and help us to improve it. I find this consideration in various communications, as also, a contrario sensu, there are readers who give us a last chance so as not to stop reading us or cancel their subscription.The complaints that refer to management are high not because of their own deficits but because, although they point to sections punctually, they raise inductive, global, and editorial line issues rather than a specific topic. I will provide two of the most frequent cases. The primarily metropolitan gaze to the detriment of certain regions, especially of the “New Catalonia”, as if a historical curse were reincarnated in an ink ectoplasm. The second case is the contradiction of sponsored content which, nevertheless, is signed corporately by ARA or the editorial staff. I will dedicate more attention to this very complex issue, which impacts the Code of Ethics and has more scope at the Press Council of Catalonia, contrasting it with the delicate position of some newspapers –not only ARA– that have to manage this generalized demand for advertising, which is a source of income that contributes to the viability of a free press.I highlight the high level of the criticisms I receive, which involve us in an intellectual recycling of journalism. And I thank the management for having attended to all of them, just as I also appreciate the fair play of the journalists who have always responded to my requests for verification, even though attending to the Readers' Editor who brings some correction is not a flattering interaction.I also thank the twelve professional experts in various fields from whom I have requested opinions of auctoritas and who, placed side by side in this balanced mode, paint a true hall of fame of different areas of knowledge, an expert list of quality that provides an external perspective to the dialogue-debate between readers and journalists.The comments in the language section go beyond grammatical corrections, which have other channels of expression. However, for the damage control that I see from the proscenium, regarding errors not only of language, I have suggested recycling the old figure of the "plate editor," an experienced professional who performs one last reading at least before the printing press perpetuates blunders into the enduring life of the newspaper archives.Comments about the language show a special interest from readers and demonstrate linguistic militancy, the language factor as content in itself. The Catalan language comes from having to fight to stay alive against the linguistic annihilation policy of a dictatorship, and it still carries problems of intolerance. However, the need for self-affirmation responds with great dynamic potential, with activism, with constant regeneration, with diverse visions in agreements and disagreements, but always enriching, and newspapers, as the main producers of language, are both art and a prominent part of it. That is why I also thank the readers who raise linguistic questions with me, which in my balance are practically equal numerically to those related to the mother of all controversies: politics and opinion.The criticisms of the subscriptions department refer to poor distribution, digital re-identifications to read an article, and advertising intrusions. “My kingdom is not of this world,” as the evangelical saying goes: logistics is not my area of expertise, as I am focused on the content, but nonetheless, I have taken note of it, passed the criticisms on to the appropriate people, and expressed my concern about it all to the management.I end by redoubling my gratitude to all the readers who have placed their trust in me, who are the essence of this section that has now been running for two years.The Readers' Editor takes note of doubts, suggestions, criticisms, and complaints regarding the newspaper's content in its digital and print editions, and ensures that the treatment of information is in accordance with codes of ethics.To contact the Reader's Ombudsman you can send an email to eldefensor@ara.cat or record a message of no more than one minute on the WhatsApp number 653784787. In all cases, identification with full name and ID number is required.